Few things in life are more life changing than faint double lines...

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  2 years, 1 month, 17 days

Age of Baby T2: 5.5 weeks

Family,

And a good evening to you from the Queen City, where the Bull and Striker have MUCH to report.

Yes, you read that correctly, sports fans - TEAM TAYLOR IS EXPECTING!!!!!  It's early days and I'm sure you have a million questions (well, you would have if you could actually access this post from the internet), and I don't want to get ahead of myself.  Let's just say that "Raise Kids With the Taylors" is about to add a new cast member for the 3rd season - LOOK OUT SWEEPS, BABY!!!

So a bit of back story here - Jenny and I have been trying since November, and we are pretty sure we had a "close call" in there (we think we got pregnant on the first try but lost it - I remember posting about it).  Well, I am happy to report that, after what can only be described as a "17 day shag fest," Team Taylor had the week of April 13th to just sit and wait, breathless with anticipation but confident that we'd done everything we could (quite literally) to conceive.  On Saturday (the day I was flying out to London), Jenny took a pregnancy test.  She would have been due to get her period that day, and so we felt there was a chance we'd know something.  Well, sure enough - FAINT DOUBLE LINES!!!  We were obviously a) thrilled, b) hopeful, and c) terrified something would go wrong (likely in that order), and we definitely didn't want to celebrate this early in the game.  After all T2 was only 4 weeks at that point (the size of a poppy seed in case you're scoring), and you know how these things go.

Throughout the week JT would give me picture updates of the tests taken, and on Tuesday I got the "So I think I really might be pregnant" email (reminds me I need to save that) - WHA-WHAT!!!!!  She tested on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday, and I arrived home on Friday VERY excited and hopeful.  Saturday she then took another test, and there was no doubt about it - those lines weren't faint.  Those lines were DARK.  BOO-YOW, BABY!!!!!  Team Taylor, Party of 4 - comin' at ya!

We're now 5.5 weeks into this, and truly no one (except Jill from the mommy's group) knows anything.  We were over at the Wetzel's on Sunday, but luckily as no one was drinking, we were able to dodge a bullet there.  My mom actually fished for information yesterday, but to date we've been able to deflect any questions.  The good news is that, come Mother's Day, the secret will be out with our parents, and soon afterwards it will be out with Kim.  Soon after that, we can go "Facebook" official. :-)

And so the blog now takes an interesting turn, as we're recording the stories and lives of both our children (first time I've ever typed that).  For Jenny and I, there's no question that this is a dream come true.  We have loved EVERY SINGLE SECOND of Kaitlyn's life, and the opportunity to experience it all over again and give Kaitlyn family that she'll carry with her long after we're gone is a blessing from God that is indescribable.  When we set out on this journey and broke our lives into phases, the "35 to 40" window had us ideally having 2 kids, buying a house, and starting to pay down on our debts.  We're 2.2 out of 3 so far, and I cannot put into words how blessed I feel right now.  I must simply record that I feel this blessing is a gift from God, as has been this entire year - finding our church, making progress on some of our life goals, and now this.  Truly I can say my cup runneth over.

The good news is that Jenny is feeling great (no different in fact), and we're really hopeful that all will go smoothly.  While we aren't screaming in celebration yet, we are conceding comments like "We're going to have a baby!" to one another within the quiet confines of the house, and the excitement (and relief) that we have this miracle growing inside her is just incredible.  This go-around was tough on us emotionally, and I must confess I am breathing a heavy sigh of relief with each passing day.


T2 is now 5.5 weeks old - the size of a sesame seed.  There's obviously not a lot to report at this point, but I can tell you that JT is officially off coffee (straight decaf), is now microwaving cold cuts, and has started her pre-natal vitamins.  And let me tell you - she's never looked happier or more beautiful.

Now the above clearly made the past week exciting, but let's not forget the main star of this show who kicked off the entire party, as it was a GREAT week for her.  SO MUCH to record in the life of the Munchkin, so let's get back amongst it, shall we?

For Kaitlyn, this past week saw a TON of firsts.  For starters, K started real toothpaste this week (15 April to be exact).  She is now using "Minnie toothpaste" during the day (before nap) and then fluoride free "Elmo toothpaste" at night.  Technically she's not supposed to swallow the real toothpaste, but luckily it's a light dose of "training fluoride," which means it's not harmful.  It's actually REALLY cute to watch, as she sucks on it like it's the "other stuff," and you find yourself forcing her to brush more so that she can actually get some of it on her teeth.  JT's bought her stools to help her get to the sink and spit, but spitting is very much a learned art (who knew?), and it will take some time.  But she's a trooper and tries every day, so I'm confident we'll lick it soon.

On the 16th, K started another rite of passage - she became a Flintstone kid (10 million strong and growing!).  K is supposed to get a half vitamin every day until she's 4, and let me tell you - SHE LOVES THESE THINGS.  At every meal she asks for her vitamin - I think she'd eat 20 a day if we'd let her.  TOO CUTE!

On the 17th, we started another ritual - prayer before mealtime.  Now I don't have this on video yet, but I can confirm that it is absolutely a MUST HAVE.  Family, simply put - it is the sweetest thing EVER. K folds her hands just like me, bows her head (I've watched JT do it with her as well, and so I know she bows her head and keeps her eyes closed the whole time), and then recites "God is great" (as best she can, of course).  And while she may not get all the words right, she is GREAT about saying "Amen!"  I mean, it's like being at a Pentecostal service around our table.  And the cutest part?  She wants to do it over and over.  Eventually I had to make her take bites of food before I'd reward her with another prayer - how cute is that?

Moving onto the week I was away, I am thrilled to report that K is practically 100% in the running department!  She'd fallen at the Chik-fil-A playground earlier in the week and had injured her foot.  Consequently, her progress on returning to normalcy in the walking department was a bit start and stop, and by the time I left she was barely putting any weight on it (JT told me about this Sunday).  On Monday the 20th, however, K was already a ROCKET once again, running all over the house.  I actually got to see it first hand because FINALLY after more than a year of not having FaceTime, it has returned to my operating system!  Seriously - I cannot tell you how big a difference it made that week being able to see my girls.  It really did change the entire experience (vs. just texting them).  She's now running full steam and getting back to being able to jump.  It's not quite there yet (and to be fair wasn't exactly textbook pre-break), but there's no question she's back to normal and getting stronger every day.  SO GOOD to see, and JT and I are definitely breathing easier.

The week I was away also saw us receive GREAT news at the ENT - both tubes are now out, and K has fully functioning Eustachian tubes!!!  We also got the doctor's bills from the break, and I'm happy to report that we won't have to mortgage the house to cover it. It actually wasn't bad at all - about $800 all in for the cast, doctor time, x-rays, and everything else.  I mean, between these updates and JT learning she was pregnant, tell me last week wasn't incredible!  I just can't believe I was overseas for all of it!

In other news, K continues to develop on so many fronts.  We've started reminding her that she needs to sit with her legs forward or crossed ("criss-cross applesauce"), as apparently sitting back on your knees is detrimental to bone and joint development (who knew - certainly not this guy, so thank GOODNESS for my wife).  I'm happy to report that K's already sitting better and almost always puts both legs forward without prompting.  I knew everyone thinks their kid is a genius, and so I won't say that here (again).  However, that child is a quick learner.  THAT cannot be denied.

She's also doing a better job undressing herself.  She can now take her socks and shoes off, and usually with help she can get the pants off.  Obviously the shirt will require a bit more time, but she's definitely making strides.  She's also getting better at putting her pajamas on.  The shirt typically can't be done unassisted, but the pants and socks are getting there.

She's also starting to learn the alphabet now, and she's counting all the time.  Jenny told me that, during K's most recent stint at Childwatch at NOMAD, Kaitlyn did a lot of counting for Brenda and Kathy.  It should be noted that K is a celebrity now everywhere she goes.  I saw her be recognized by the two instructors at the library, and everybody at NOMAD knows her and asks about her.  She apparently plays with Maria the janitor and learns about the mop, plays with Brenda and Kathy, and there are about 700 other people who recognize her, look forward to her routines, and have been cheering for her throughout all these injuries.  We are blessed.

Oh, and K FINALLY likes going to Church now.  The secret?  LOLLIPOPS.  That's right, sports fans - I never would have thought the key to Christianity would be a "dum dum," but low and behold - K now practically RUNS into that daycare room.  Too funny!

The last thing to note (aside from the fact that this child is now teething again - canines and 2 year molars are breaking through, and K has definitely had some irritable moments of late...but truth be told has been an angel and a trooper) started on the 27th.  K is now doing headbutts and eskimo kisses.  It's really, really, REALLY cute - especially the kisses of course.  But hey - the headbutts aren't so bad either.

In closing, I managed to spend some time this week committing the 12 month goals for Kaitlyn (really 10 months at this point) to paper.  In a nutshell, things we hope to cross off this year (this is the prognostication so you can rate me later):

1.  Crossing legs or sitting straight vs. on her knees

2.  Stop thumb-sucking - I'll settle for just doing it less or only at night

3.  Transition to a big girl bed

4.  Completely eliminating the limp

5.  Jumping again

6.  Being able to dress herself

7.  Being able to undress herself

8.  potty trained

9.  Spitting toothpaste

10.  Nightly prayer

11.  Transition to a new room

I know we've made progress on some of these items, and I'm confident we'll knock all of them off before K's 3 year.  And no matter what - it's going to be a fun ride...and QUITE the adventure come December. :-)

Okay, that's all the news that's fit to print.  I am the luckiest man alive!  Chat soon!

Love,

Sam and Jenny

Unbreakable - The Munch Rises Again...

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  2 years, 1 month, and 2 days

Family,

And a good Monday evening to you from the Queen City, where the Bull is trying to get a jump on the

blog ahead of his impending flight over the Pond.  As per standard, all kinds of craziness to report, so let's get amongst it, shall we?

First off, the biggest news to relate - KAITLYN IS WALKING ON HER OWN AGAIN!!!!  That's right, sports fans, after a few hiccups (right on queue as predicted by the doctor), Kaitlyn started walking again in earnest 8 days after her cast came off.  And let's be clear - the progress has been positively meteoric.  The first 2 days were rather timid, and she was actually on her toes until Saturday. During the week, she would stand on her heel (but much preferred to be on her toe unless she was on the carpet upstairs) but wouldn't walk on it.  However, on Saturday I simply said, "Can you put your heel down?" while we were in the bonus room, and WOW - the magic started.

First, K dropped her heel.  Then, after steadying herself for a moment, she suddenly lurched away from the couch.  The first few steps were a bit all over the place, but after that she was off like a rocket - AMAZING!  K went from couch to couch, throwing in some of her favorite phrases, such as "Turning around" and "TT walking on her own again" while she walked.  It was SO GREAT to see!  Throughout the day she got faster and faster, and by yesterday (Sunday) she was actually jumping!  She's back to climbing almost everywhere, has NO FEAR whatsoever at the playground, is climbing up and sliding down all the slides, and basically running at this point.  Her stride on Saturday and Sunday was a bit choppy, and

her foot was very turned out on Saturday (less so on Sunday but still noticeable).  Jenny said that today (4/13), she was running around everywhere and having a blast.  She also said that her stride and foot position were almost back to normal.  Considering that the doctor told us should could limp for a month, we're thinking this is GREAT news.  In days previous, big bursts of activity like this have led to her being a bit sore and not wanting to put her foot down the following day, so we'll see if that holds true tomorrow.  Based on what I saw this weekend and what Jenny's told me, I'm hopeful we're over that hump and truly on the mend.  Watch this space!

In terms of other development, I witnessed (what I deemed to be) a big first on April 7th (last Tuesday) - K successfully turned off the lamp in her room for the first time!  Now she's been able to reach it for awhile and clearly understands the concept of turning off the light.  However, given the torque required to turn it off, I'd always helped up up until this point.  Truth be told, I was ready to help her this time when - CLICK! - she pushed it all the way over and plunged us into near darkness.  I was so proud I could have tackled her, and it was another good lesson for me to not always try to do everything for her on the assumption that she's not yet capable.  She's quite the clever and resilient child, and I definitely need to find ways to keep pushing and developing her.

K is also getting more comfortable sitting on the "big girl potty," and it's clear she does understand what's being asked of her.  In fact, she's actually straining a bit when she sits on the potty, clearly trying to either pee or poop.  And while I don't want to encourage straining, I must confess it's pretty darn cute (and worthy of video if I can remember to trot the Go Pro out. :-)).  And speaking of poopy, we had a classic moment last Monday when, at a play date, K pooped in her diaper and yelled out "Steamer!"  She did this again for me one night last week, and I must confess - I could NOT stop laughing.  Too cute!  And if I may, "steamer" was DEFINITELY an apt description of what she deposited on both occasions. :-)

On the word front, I've obviously fallen off pace trying to keep up with her vocabulary development.  However, I've managed to capture a few nuggets:

1.  "Big Dump!" - And NO, this does not relate to toilet humor. :-)  This is actually what we've always said to Kaitlyn in the bath before we pour water on her head to wash her hair.  In the beginning she hated it, but now she's actually embraced it and even wants to help.  In fact, several times this week she said "Big Dump!" and then poured a cup full of water on her head.  And while it's really cute, she always forgets to close her eyes and mouth, with the result being a coughing fit and K rubbing her eyes while saying "eyeball!"

2.  "Big Splash" - this came from NOMAD, where Team Taylor went for a family swim last week.  As an update, K is LOVING the pool and is really getting comfortable in the water.  She's doggy paddling a lot (with a noodle tied around her), is splashing and moving her arms, and she is even enjoying putting her head into the water and getting water in her ears.  She loves blowing bubbles in the water - she just always ends up drinking it (notice a theme here?).  But hey - we're making progress!  Oh, and side note from the pool:  there was a little girl playing with her, and while the gal was right there, K looked at my bare chest and said "Nipple!" followed by "Chest hair!" Absolutely priceless.

3.  Steam (rising from coffee)

4.  Pancake

5.  Syrup

6.  Story time - K said this to me tonight in the bath.  She had "story time" at Chik-fil-a today, and Jenny sent me the CUTEST photo of K sitting with other kids in a circle during story time.  This was a big moment, as it marked the first time that K's ever say with kids without Jenny right there beside her.
Kudos to wife muffin - all of this socialization is paying off!  Best wife ever!

7.  "Nose sucker!"  Now seriously, I know that we are lucky parents and we have an angel baby.  I know that we are blessed because she LOVES medication and never fights us when we ask her to take it (this has been VERY helpful this week and weekend because she's fighting a cold and has been running a fever - likely from teething).  But we achieved a new level of "perfect childness" this past week when K actually BEGGED for the snot sucker.  Seriously, she would actually reach for it and press it up against her nose!  And after you'd basically rattled her brain sucking out mucus, she'd ask for more and fight you if you quit doing it!  I mean, you gotta love this kid, right?  Between that and her actually REQUESTING the medicine (she says, "Red one white one," meaning the Benadryll and then the Advil), how could be get any luckier?

8.  "Daddy working from home today" - she rocked in and said that to me before trying to click a few icons with my mouse last Wednesday.  Again - TOO CUTE!

"TT tickling baby 'Teth feet!"

As for the rest of the week, it was actually quite the blur.  The toughest moment was on Wednesday, when I drove up to Dublin, VA for a funeral.  It was Alice's father, and as you can expect it was obviously a very emotional day.  I won't go into the details of it, as that's obviously another story for another time (and not my tale to tell), but what I will say is that, again as expected, I found myself thinking so much on my own mortality and how quickly life passes by.  Now obviously I'm a (relatively) young man still (37 as I type this), and I expect to have many, many years of adventures left (hopefully more to come than I've had to date!).  But as I looked at Bud in that coffin, all I could think about was making every single second count and maximizing my time with Jenny, Kaitlyn, and the rest of my family.  A funeral is a flood of emotions, and I think every single one of them passed through me during that service and on the drive home.  It was a reminder of how quickly K will be a teenager and then out of the house, at which time I'll be the one scrambling after her for a bit of attention (to quote the movie "Hook").  It was also a reminder that some day in the (hopefully distant) future I'll be in different roles as that scene plays out, and ultimately my race will be run.  When the bell tolls for each of those moments, it is one of my sincerest hopes that I will be able to say I made every second count.

It is always said that God works in mysterious ways, and there are messages and signs all around you if you're really looking.  With that lens on things, I don't think it's a stretch to say that God used Bud's funeral to help me rebalance my life, as over the past couple of weeks I'd had trouble balancing all of the priorities and moving parts, not the least of which was trying to be a good father and husband while trying to knock off everything on the perpetually expanding (and self-imposed it should be noted) to-do list.  Particularly with regards to K, I've found it tougher and tougher to give her my full attention lately given that she's been staying up later.  While I've certainly continued to give her dedicated, focused time, on more than one occasion I've found myself distracted or multi-tasking.  Largely this has been a product of her 7:45 bedtime (vs. 7 previously), but all the same, I know that I need to really switch on and re-shuffle/"de-scope" some of the items on my list.  One of these days I'll learn that not all of my goals and milestones aren't feasible in the timelines I've delineated.  Until that fateful day comes, however, I'll just keep thanking God for giving me reminders on rebalancing and giving me a wife who tolerates all my idiosyncrasies.

Wrapping the week, some of the other fun moments (not the least of which for JT and K was a visit to

Rompy good and secured for the BJ's run.

the Cheesecake Factory last Thursday):

1.  Hide and Seek - so K is starting to LOVE hide and seek now.  In fact, whenever she sees dada she says "Dada, more hide and seek!"  This involves me hiding behind a door or in another room counting loudly to 10, with K pre-empting each number before I say it (she's getting really good, although she often forgets "six" in the count).  The funny part is that, when I enter the room, the one thing K has NOT done is moved - ANYWHERE.  It's hilarious, as she is ALWAYS in plain view in the room.  I mean, we're talking about not even making the ATTEMPT to cover herself.  Consequently, I say, "Ready or not, here I come!" and then start turning over everything in the room until I magically "find her" sitting right on the couch.  One time she did let Jenny and I hide, and when she came to look for us, it was PRICELESS.  After she counted to 10, she said, "Readeeee not he I come!" and then barreled into the room.  Now JT and I weren't well hidden - she could see us.  However, instead of going straight for us, she started picking up random objects like the little map of Mickey Park and saying "Are you under the minnie map?  Nooooooo...." before moving onto the next item and saying, "Are you under the basketball?  Noooooooo."  It was hilarious!  She was completely imitating me, all the way down to the length of time I would say "No" after turning over each object.  Too cute.

Meeting "Mel Mel Pup Pup."

2.  "All through the town" - So K is definitely starting to sing more.  In fact, she was at the library today (4/16 at time of writing) and apparently did a lot of singing and dancing.  She can sing "Open Shut," "Twinkle, Twinkle," Happy Birthday, and most recently - "The Wheels on the Bus."  We had a book of it, and she would single and motion each page appropriately before saying at the end "All through the town."  It was absolutely adorable.

3.  Reading at bedtime - so this has now evolved.  K now enjoys sitting on the floor (vs. in our laps) and reading the books by herself.  Sometimes she'll let me read them to her, but more often than not she wants to turn every single page at her own pace.  She's also recognizing more of the titles, as last week she actually said, "Good night, Boston" before picking it up and flipping through it.  Genius, I tell you!

Okay, that's all the news that's fit to print in this edition.  The Bull is off to London in 48 hours, so the next post will likely be on or around April 27.  Stay tuned!

Love,

Sam and Jenny

Happy Easter to TT!

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  2 years and 26 days

Family,


And a good Monday evening to you from the Queen City, where the Bull is ready to tackle the next 10+ day installment of the blog.  I must confess that just having that 3-4 day window of additional time has made this easier, but given all that I've got to report (and likely will have for the next year), I definitely don't want to let it stretch much longer than this!  Plenty to report on this go-around, so let's get amongst it, shall we?

Tackling this chronologically, we'll kick the party off with Saturday, where Team Taylor rolled over to Prosperity Park after K's nap for the annual Highland Creek Easter Bash.  We didn't get there in time for the Easter Egg hunt, but that proved a non-issue, as K LOVED all the other things to do.  As soon as we rolled up, we found a clown creating balloon animals, and K requested a "purple hop hop" (I really do think it's going to be her favorite color - just like her mum).  It was chilly at the park, but we had K rugged up properly - complete with one of my old Thorlo socks to cover her toe!  Side note about this - we'd learned a valuable lesson after the "Floyd tire patch," as JT spent a good 20 minutes fishing tire bits and other assorted rubbish out of K's cast with a Q-tip that night.  It was so filthy that we actually had to do that on multiple occasions that following week - to the point that K looked forward to "Q-tip!" and wanted her own one to play with (translation - rip apart and destroy).

There were several bounce castles around, but obviously K could only look at those.  Truth be told, she wasn't that interested, as her focus shifted immediately from the balloon to arguably her favorite thing on earth - a choo-choo train!  They had a little train making loops in the parking lot, and K was ALL ABOUT that.  In fact, we rode it either 3 or 4 times - even daddy got a turn with her!

The highlight, however, was neither the balloon nor the train.  As fate would have it, old Peter Cottontail - meaning the Easter Bunny - himself was there, and K was FASCINATED from the moment she laid eyes on him.  Now picture the scene.  Here is a child who just THREE MONTHS AGO screamed bloody murder when placed in front of a perfectly normal looking human whose only quirks were a long beard and a red suit.  At this moment in time, on the windswept plain that is Prosperity Park, she is staring at a 6 foot bunny dancing to Rihanna and beckoning her over.  And then, just when you know the screaming is about to ensue, K does the unthinkable - SHE WALKS OVER TO THE MUTANT BUNNY.

Love this!  No fear of the Mutant Bunny who loves rap.

Have sucker, will travel.

All's well that ends well. :-)

First, she dances with the bunny.  Then, she high fives the bunny.  And then, just when you think "we better not push our luck," the Easter Bunny PICKS HER UP.  And the reaction?  No scream - just an inquisitive stare.  And after he puts her down and starts to walk away the situation becomes even cuter, as suddenly K wants to STALK THE EASTER BUNNY.  Seriously - the next hour was spent between the playground, the train, and the Easter Bunny.  Too cute!  The girl had a blast, and we got some great shots to prove it.

Later than night we had another (completely inadvertent) milestone - K's first time peeing in Big girl potty!  We'd purchased one of those booster seats that fit over an adult potty, an on Saturday night we just decided that we were going to put her on it for a few seconds before bath.  Well, lo and behold, she'd been on it about 3 seconds when a blast of urine came flying out.  Needless to say we make quite the celebration out of it, and K smiled from ear to ear (without really having any idea why).

The biggest event of the following week was Monday, when K FINALLY got her cast off.  Now, to put it into perspective, YES - I am conscious that it was only 3.5 weeks.  That being said, obviously EVERYONE in the house was ready for it to come off (Sunday's bath had been rough, as K really, r
eally wanted to get into the tub), and we were just ready to get K back on track and running again.

We had a 10:40 appointment, and just like before the entire staff was incredible.  Seriously - Levine is a TOP NOTCH place, and every second of the process was smooth and well thought out.  For starters, just before cast cutting time, the nurse brought in a "child life specialist."  Knowing that most kids don't really like having the cast cut off, her whole job was to keep K entertained and focused elsewhere (and she did an excellent job). That being said, eventually the noise and the ferocity of the blade did start to scare K, and she was calling for JT (not crying but clearly uncomfortable) when they started cutting on the inside.  By the time they cracked the shell of the cast, however, she was fine.  Kudos to Molly for keeping K occupied!

The x-ray was NOT a pleasant experience for K, but ultimately we got what we wanted - confirmation that everything had healed well and that no "baby boot" would be required.  He didn't even request a follow-up, something that made us VERY happy.  He told us that K would NOT want to put weight or walk on it for a week, and then the following month we could expect her to have a limp.  After that, however, he said she should be back to normal.


We then went for lunch, and after lunch K was desperate to stand and walk.  Well, thinking that she'd be fine, I helped her to the ground and let her stand.  She was good for about 3 seconds, but then her poor little knee - so sore and atrophied - buckled, and she almost fell.  The pain that followed must have been quite exquisite, as K started SCREAMING (Father of the Year RIGHT HERE, people).  For the rest of the day, she put no weight on her leg but moved back to scooting around on her bum.  She didn't cry anymore, however, and there was a VERY nice perk at the end of the night - K'S FIRST BATH IN A MONTH!  And let me tell you, she LOVED it.

Jenny had read how dry K's skin would be (and it absolutely was - K had scratched it to pieces when the cast came off), and the doctor's notes recommended a long soak followed by lotion.  We let K play in that bath every bit of 30 minutes that night (she pruned!), and she LOVED it.  Oh, and something else she loved once she left the doctor's office?  HER NEW SLINKY.  Seriously - Molly gave her a cheap (we're talking nickel quality at best) plastic slinky for being such a brave girl, and K has NOT stopped playing with that thing when she's in her room.  It is a MUST HAVE every night right now, as she likes to a) ram the toothbrush into the slinky and then b) use the slinky as dental floss.  I mean, really?  REALLY?  Why bother with battery operated toys? :-)

That night we tried the big girl bed (I mean talk about ripping the band-aid off), but it just didn't work.  K got up twice during the night (she'd fallen out), and finally JT had to put her back in the crib.  We actually asked the Ped's about this as well, and based on her advice (which, I will point out, was Jenny's perspective all along), we're now going to keep K in the crib as long as she'll stay in there.  So far she's shown no sign of wanting to climb out (I mean, she can barely stand, so it's not surprising), and that's going to give us time to figure out the approach for the transition (rails, new mattress, etc).  The Peds did confirm that we should NOT be using the inflatable big girl bed (again, JT was right and I was wrong), so needless to say I now realize that the Director of Operations should NOT be questioned in matters of childcare. :-)

On Wednesday we had K's 2 year appointment, and I'm happy to report that it went GREAT!  K is now in the 80th percentile for both height and weight.  This was great news, as it means she's finally caught up and is proportionate (her head is still 25th percentile - LOVE IT!).  Dr. Knutson checked and confirmed that one tube was out and the other was no longer being used, which means that K now has fully functioning Eustachian tubes - Yay!  As we rattled off all the milestones, she said that she was right on track and actually advanced for her vocabulary.  She asked if she used words to communicate, and I proudly noted that she was using sentences to communicate.  Side note to this - JT went back through previous blogs to confirm what her word count was at 22 months (it was supposed to be 50, and I said it was closer to 250) - as of her second birthday, she'd used 222 words!  Way to go, Munch Munch!

K tried taking her first few ginger steps on Monday as well - SO BRAVE!  I'm sure it hurt, and she didn't go very far, but she was adamant that she wanted to try and walk.  She would say "walking!" and then try to go a few steps (always with her left leg on her toe), and throughout the day she continued to string more steps together.  This girl is rough and tumble, ladies and gentlemen!  When we had her seated we tried to focus on crossing her legs vs. sitting on her knees (this was based on advice from other mothers), but obviously it's not something we've pushed hard just yet.  Needless to say you can expect the phrase "Criss-cross apple sauce" to be used about 16,000 times in the coming months...

In terms of development, K has continued to add words to her vocabulary.  While I'm sure I've missed a bunch at this point, the notable ones that we've caught:

1. Q-tip (LOVES these things)

2.  Happy Easter!  She got this from the end of the "Hop Hop" book, where the little baby says "Happy Easter" and then shows off all the different kinds of eggs.  K's good at saying this one and definitely associates all the bunnies with Easter.

3.  Tie-dye (one of the colors of the eggs)

4.  Scribbles (another of the colors)

5.  Stripes (rinse/repeat)

6.  spicy

7.  everybody - so this all started with the fact that, when K wants all of the people in the room to do something or to note a commonality, she says something like "Mama riding, TT riding, dada riding" or "Mama walking dada walking TT walking."  Well, once the group got to be 5 or 6, I just pointed out to K that she could say "everybody walking," and lo and behold - she dropped that on me at the Tacy's. :-)

8.  slinky (as previously discussed)

9.  "Toenails too bumpy" - she got this from one of those "That's not my..." books, but the side note is that K now pretends to cut both her fingernails and toenails.  Fingernails are just nails, but she will take the clipper, mimic cutting each nail, and then pretend to put the nail onto the bookcase just like Jenny does when she's actually clipping them.  Too cute!

10.  "Brenda Kathy coming tomorrow" - SERIOUSLY:  If you've been around Kaitlyn at ANY POINT for more than 38 seconds in the last 3 weeks, you've heard her say this.  Jenny said that they were going to see "Brenda and Kathy tomorrow" a few weeks back before they went to NOMAD, and K has said it NON-STOP since that time.  I'm pretty sure that she is more fond of Brenda and Kathy (even though Kathy is sometimes actually Judy) than Dada, but hey - I'm just happy to be here scribing. :-)

11.  "No crying, TT!" - Brenda made K promise that she wouldn't cry the next time she came to Childwatch at NOMAD, and now K actually says that periodically before we go to either NOMAD or church.  And while it doesn't always pan out, K is getting much better about not crying when dropped off, particularly at NOMAD (it's still touch and go at Freedom House).

12.  Church - saying it doesn't scare her.  Parking in front of the building invariably does.

13.  "Happy Birthday to TT!" - Okay, so there's no two ways about it - this kid is firmly convinced that EVERY DAY IS HER BIRTHDAY.  Now, in her defense, between her actual birthday (which has now been celebrated THREE TIMES with multiple cakes and cupcakes), Marshall's party (where K received FOUR presents), all the gifts from the Easter Bunny, and all the get well presents from the break, it's easy to see how it's really a "birthday month and change" vs. just a single day.  Regardless, what I can confirm is that this child now sings "Happy Birthday to Kaitlyn" (it was TT, but she's saying her name better lately) all the time.  I can't help but crack up every time, and I will say that she's actually carrying the tune a bit.

The other new activity to note - the Balloon Flying game.  Basically, it consists of Jenny and I blowing up balloons, counting to 5 (Kaitlyn has to count with us), and then letting them go.  We do this over and over until a) I nearly pass out, b) K loses interest, and c) the balloons get so nasty that you want to just take them out and set them on fire.  But hey, it's cheap entertainment, so who am I to complain (actually, full credit once again to JT, as she was the one who introduced this uber-cheap entertainment into the mix).

In terms of other activities for the week, Jenny got Kaitlyn back into the pool this week, and she LOVED IT.  Jenny said that she played non-stop and was really active, even doggy-paddling at one point.  She loved it so much that she would only get out once she was shivering.  But then again, what did we expect?  She's a Pisces for crying out loud. :-)

Dad arrived late Thursday night, and K was THRILLED to see "Granddaddy."  It was so cute, as she wanted him to read to her that first night and didn't understand why he said good night, gave her a kiss, and then headed downstairs.  Friday was an EPIC day, as we took K over to UNC-C to watch her first ever collegiate softball game!  Pattie and the MTSU Blue Raiders were in town, and so the fam headed over to watch Conference-USA action at its finest.  And while the game result did not end up favorable to Raider Nation (we lost both games), K LOVED being outside and played for 2 hours on the bleachers.  She kept saying "hop hop Kaitlyn" and jumping on one leg, using the bleachers as support.    And while this was GREAT, we think she overdid it on Friday, as Saturday she wouldn't put any weight on her foot.  I think part of it was that she did a lot of walking in the house as well, including a lot of time spent "putting her heel down."  And while she might have overdone it, credit to dad for being the one who first successfully convinced her to put her heel down.  And in case anyone's curious, she started taking steps again today and is already walking again with assistance - you can't keep this girl down!

The weekend itself was a blast, as Dad and I had some great bonding time with Pattie, the Raiders posted a win on Saturday, the weather was absolutely beautiful, and life was good.  Dad even read to K on Saturday night (it was really cute), and we ate like champs the entire time.  Dad left early on Sunday, saying Happy Easter and good-bye to the Munchkin before heading up to Virginia to be with Alice (she'd left on Saturday after surprising us at Pattie's game; unfortunately, her father passed away Saturday evening after a protracted illness).

Prior to attending church on Sunday, Kaitlyn awoke to find that the Easter Bunny had visited us during the night. :-)  She walked toward "room" (aka the Bonus room), where she saw quite the collection of Bunnies and baskets.  Again, ALL CREDIT IN THE WORLD goes to Jenny on this one, as she did a great job of planning out the display for K.  Wife Muffin had play-doh arranged, Matchbox cars in the basket, and bunnies all over the place.  She and I then "hid" some Easter eggs in the room, quite curious to see if K would know what to do when she saw the empty basket.

K LOVED going through the Easter basket, and she was quite excited about the play-doh (we made her wait until the afternoon, however).  Once the basket was empty, Jenny and I said, "Wow, sweetheart, I wonder if the Easter Bunny left any eggs for you to find."  This didn't seem to phase K in the slightest, and so JT and I had to slowly point out a few eggs and make quite the show of "WOW!  How did this get here?"  Then, suddenly, she was ALL ABOUT egg hunting and proceeded to "find" all the rest.  We'd hidden them in the doll house, couches, and along the furniture, and it was quite adorable watching her crawl and scoot toward each egg, bringing it back to the basket each time before resuming the search.

Church was wonderful, even if K didn't like making the transition into the 2 year old room. :-)  We then shuffled down to South Carolina, where we had a great visit with Jenny's folks.  The highlight for K came at nap time, as she was presented with her first chance to sleep in a real Big Girl Bed!  Bob and Jan had assembled it some time previously, and this was going to be the first dance for K in an actual big girl bed.  She was so excited when she saw it that she immediately crawled in and said "Night, night" - she didn't even want us reading to her!

So we got K settled down, and Jan said "why don't you two go for a walk and just relax?"  Well, we did that, but 35 minutes later we returned to a silent house.  Given that Jan would normally have been in the kitchen, JT and I were instantly suspicious.  We then looked upstairs to see lights on, and then it hit us - K was no longer sleeping.  Sure enough, about 1 hour into her nap, she'd fallen out of the bed (Jan described it as a "ker-plunk").  This had obviously woken her up and frightened her, but now she was fine and dandy because she had Nole Nana to play with. :-)  Oh, well, looks like it's definitely the crib for awhile, but no complaints!

So there you have it - 10+ epic days, a fully healed daughter, another holiday, and some more great memories in the books.  Who knows what the next 2 weeks will bring?  Stay tuned. :-)

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

Love,

Sam and Jenny

Pegleg goes mobile!!!!!

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  2 years and 16 days

Family,

And a good Friday to you from the Queen City, where the Bull is FINALLY settling down to blog

about the last almost two weeks.  I will be honest - I fear that this blog is going to move to a 10 day or even 14 day cycle as we commence volume three, as I am really struggling to find the time right now.  Between K going down later in the evening (closer to 7:40 vs. what used to be 7), the average work day stretching to 9-10 hours, me having to commute more, and Team Taylor starting to catch-up on some long overdue activities, time just seems to be harder and harder to find. I've already dialed back exercise to 3-4 times a week and have dropped reading from the calendar all together, but I want to keep this writing going as long as possible, as it's important for me to have a record of all this time and the Munchkin's growth.

And speaking of growth - WOW!  So much to report here that I almost don't know where to start.  The biggest news is that K is now WALKING AND ALMOST RUNNING IN HER CAST!  It's been absolutely incredible (and almost life-changing for us), but I am getting ahead of myself.  Let me reset to cover the time since we last chatted.

For most of the week ending 3/22, K had certainly become more mobile.  While she wasn't yet bi-pedal, she had discovered a way to scoot on her rump that was nothing shy of a) comical and b) impressive.  I mean, watching her scoot like a rocket pretty much dispelled any notion that she might gain weight while having the cast, as this child was now working 10 times harder to keep herself mobile - all the while carrying an extra 5 pounds for that bloody cast (which is a WEAPON, for the record - I can't believe she hasn't dislocated my jaw or cracked my skull swinging that thing around during "dipe dipe" changing or when "TT rolling around" is the game of choice).

Then, near the end of the week, Jenny and I were shocked to find that K had used the rails along the bannister upstairs to pull herself up to standing!  She then started using the bannister rails as handles to support her, and BOOM - K WAS WALKING AGAIN!  Granted, it was more than a little unsteady and she did tire quickly, but there was no doubt about it - K could get upright and could move (so long as she was holding onto something).

Fast forward to this week, and let's just say that the training wheels have come off!  K is running around all OVER the place, is tackling the stairs on her own, and is practically diving and jumping on the couch (not OFF the couch - just from side to side).  Even better?  Jenny's taken her to the playground a couple of times this week, and she has been FEARLESS.  Seriously - no quit in that child, as she has been ALL ABOUT the slides this week.  And whereas this past weekend we had to help her climb up the slides or place her at the top, this week she's actually been able to climb up AND even use the stairs - INCREDIBLE!

She's now at the point that she's running, climbing, you name it.  She can climb onto the bed in our room by herself, climb onto all couches, tackle the stairs, climb into her high chair - just incredible.  What is awesome for me is that, in these moments, you can see exactly what they say in the movie "Gattaca" - there is no gene for the human spirit.  That girl WANTS TO GO, and by golly she's gonna

do it.  For my part, I'm so proud of her.  Also, it's been great for Jenny and I, as it's definitely made life easier.  For starters, not having to carry her around (given how much she now weighs) has helped.  More importantly, however, the fact that she's standing means she's not having as much diaper rash.  It had gotten quite serious prior to her standing, so we feel really lucky that it's now abating.  3 more sleeps and that cast is off - cannot WAIT!

In terms of other development, let's move to language.  Now I know that I said I wouldn't try to continue her catalogue of words, and I'm certainly not as militant about recording it as I was previously.  That being said, when classics come out, I feel compelled to capture thing.  And so, here's the latest installment of K's vocabulary development.  You'll notice a lot more sentences now, as she's really starting to put words together AND is demonstrating quite the memory - trotting out phrases from December even!

1.  Picnic basket (taken from Daisy Duck's picnic basket - one of her newest toys, courtesy of Vol Nana) - this one is really cute because she's starting to pretend that she's taking food out of the basket and eating it.  No matter what food I ask for - apple, avocado, crown rack of lamb - K has it in that basket and is always willing to share. :-)

2.  Picnic blanket (see above)

3.  Dirty

4.  Parrot

5.  Toucan (Yes, she says TOUCAN)

6.  Dragon (as in Stuffy the dragon from Doc McStuffins - she actually knows his name as well)

7.  Scuffy boat (as in Scuffy the tugboat, one of my old Golden Books)

8.  Spinning (as in what a balloon does when you fill it with air and then let it go) - JT had the great idea this past week to buy some balloons, as a) they are cheap, and b) K LOVES them.  She enjoys popping them as well, however, and so we're having to keep an eye on that.  Lately she's enjoyed watching "Boon fy," meaning blowing it up and letting it go.  It's all fun and games until you get light-headed...

9.  Shell

10.  Stripes - so this one was amazing, moreso for what K is doing at the end of vocabulary books.  When we get to the end of the book and the last page has a lot of words and pictures, K will now rattle off ALL OF THEM WITHOUT TAKING A BREATH.  The smile on her face when she's done is nothing she of priceless - LOVE THAT KID!

11.  Steamer (as in a huge poopy) - yes, yes, I know - parent of the year...

12.  waffle

13.  syrup

14.  teacher

15.  children

16.  blooming (and so much is right now)

17.  "Cloudy out" - much like "sunny out," she loves to drop this one while riding in the stroller or as soon as we get out of the car.  The good news is that, when it is sunny out, she now likes to wear her sunnies - very cute!

18.  Card (and she thinks ALL of them are for her, because after all - it's ALWAYS "TT birthday")

19.  Present (see #18)

20.  astronaut - I'm telling you - GENIUS

21.  "Dada working at home" - it's pretty crazy, but she now realizes that the bedroom is the office and that daddy is in there doing work (which is why he can't play). She's said this both in the car on the way home and in the bonus room when I leave after checking in.  Love it!

22.  "TT walking on my own" - she said this for the first time when she stood up and walked between the couches in the bonus room.  JT and I were FLOORED.

23.  "TT turning around" - same thing (and basically at the same time) - just incredible.

24.  "Good morning!"  She said this to me for the first time EVER today - I was shocked.  And the smile that accompanied it was nothing shy of perfect.

In terms of other development items to note, JT has started working on counting with K - most often when she's going up the stairs.  What's crazy - K has learned almost all the numbers from 1-20 overnight (GREAT job, Wife Muffin - teacher of the year!), and she loves to rattle them off as she climbs.  What's funny is that at first we alternated - she's say 1, we'd say 2, she'd say 3, etc.  However, we soon realized that, because of this, she wasn't learning all of them in a row (2 and 8 are absolute black holes for her at present).  Consequently, JT and I are now rattling them off 1 at a time, either asking her to repeat them or asking her what's next in the sequence (and then repeating it once she says it).  She's not there yet, but the speed of learning is explosive!

K is also getting much quicker at puzzles (the ladies at NOMAD noticed this first) and is now rolling through her shapes.  She can name a ton of them - I watched this happen when she was reading her "Peter Cottontail" book, as she blitzed through what each one was on the "shape page."  She did the same thing on the color page and animal noise page.

And speaking of animals, K now has two classic rituals with her crib.  At night she puts 6 animals in her crib.  They rotate, but at time of writing - Minnie, Rompy, Beefeater Bear, Go Dog, Purple Hop Hop, Monkey Baby - each of these animals is tossed in prior to K going into the crib.  And then, once I put her down, she actually takes each of them and arranges them along the front of the crib before moving them back to the side closest to the glider.  It is at this point that she settles for sleep.  Then, in the morning, she throws each of them out of the crib one by one (stating their name first!) before saying "TT turn!", which is my queue to pull her out (at which time she says "Reading dada" before I can

even give her a kiss).

Also, as per the dentist instructions, JT has started calmly telling K that she should NOT suck her thumb during the day, as this was bad for her teeth.  I will be honest, I haven't had the heart to do it yet, mainly because it's SO CUTE when she's watching TV.  However, Jenny has been the strong one and has said it regularly, and today the unthinkable happened.  K was sucking her thumb before Mickey Mouse Clubhouse came on,and Jenny mentioned that she shouldn't do it.  K said, "No thumb - bad for teeth!" and took her thumb out.  She then proceeded to watch THE ENTIRE SHOW without the thumb - amazing!  Way to go, wife muffin!

Other random notes:

1. K continues to grow like a weed.  She's now so talk that she can't walk under the marble overhang on our island in the kitchen.

2.  K can now identify a mouse and a computer, pointing at each.

3.  K stacked 12 blocks today - double the milestone threshold.  What, WHAT!?!?!?!?

4.  K can actually identify a Robin when she sees one.  She knows it specifically, as she calls it a Robin, where she calls all the other flying critters "birds."  Pretty clever... :-)

The rest of the week last week was a blur (to say nothing of this week), but the biggest item from last week was the EPIC Spring Picture shoot K had with a photographer.  I am attaching all the pictures because words can't do them justice, but needless to say it went GREAT!  K was an angel, the bunnies were cooperative, and the photographer did a great job of capturing all kinds of different shots, many of which hid the cast very well.  JT said it was incredible, and having seen the output, I couldn't agree more.  Check it out!

Also, this past weekend we drove up to Floyd, VA, for cousin Marshall's 3rd birthday party.  It was 2+ hours each way (and K had a MELTDOWN on the way home), but the 5 hours there were nothing shy of magic, and we had SO MUCH FUN!  It was so great to see the Quesenberry clan and catch up, and K absolutely LOVED the bounce house, the toys, and most especially - the playground that had ground up used tires vs. wood chips!  She had a blast and spent tons of time walking around, going down (SMALL) slides, and soaking up the sun.  The weather was great, the food was excellent, the company was fun - it was just a perfect happy day.

And so there you have it, 12 crazy days in the life of Team Taylor.  I do hate that this will realistically become less frequent than weekly, but for my sanity I think that's ultimately where it will land.  However, I don't want it to spread out longer than that, as K is changing SO FAST right now, and I'm desperate to capture all these changes.  Also, for me, it helps me hold these memories and moments a little longer, as I get the chance to sit down and rehash them in my head before K goes and does something even more incredible.  It's just all these moments that make you realize how precious this time is and how every second counts.  It's also in these moments that you realize how proud you are of your daughter and how blessed you feel to watch her on this voyage of discovery, all the while wondering who and what she will become.

Okay, that's all the news that's fit to print.  I hope this was a fitting kickoff for Volume III!

Love,

Sam and Jenny