Too Much Fun?

I was so impressed with Quinn this afternoon. He was playing away in his jumper, enabling me to have time to shower and get ready (make-up and all)! When I went to go check on him, this is what I found...

Parenting Disclaimer: I did have the monitor on while I was getting ready and heard him playing away. When I stopped hearing him play, I went to check on him! :)

Beginning Stages of Mobility

We wouldn't claim that our little man is crawling yet, but here is a video of him gearing up!

Mural

As I mentioned in a previous post, Pat completed a mural for Quinn's room (again)! It makes for a peaceful and calm space, and I love it. Now, if only Quinn would get the hint and become a more peaceful and calm sleeper we might all start getting the rest that we so desperately need!

Seattle Aquarium

Pat and I have been thoroughly spoiled this year with THREE weeks off for Christmas break. Well, he might argue that this week hasn't really been off (and he would be justified in doing so). We've been working around the house like crazy, and I use the word "we" loosely. I've done a little (boxed up all of the clothes that Quinn has already outgrown, found a home for all of his new toys, etc...) but Pat has definitely been the rock star around the house this week! His first big project was our garage organization (something that we've been putting off since moving) and the second was recreating the mural that he had painted in California prior to us moving for Quinn's room.

So, for a little much needed break we decided to meet Ryan and Megan at the Seattle Aquarium. It was so nice to get away from chores for a few hours and just enjoy time together. I have been noticing that Quinn is mesmerized by the little aquarium at our doctor's office (in fact, that's the first place I take him after he gets his shots each visit because it calms him immediately), and so I was excited to see his reaction to a bigger aquarium. Sure enough, he was as happy as a clam! The Seattle Aquarium doesn't quite compare to what I became accumstomed to at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but that didn't matter. It was a perfect family outing!










"Wow, cool fishies!"

"I like this place, Mom!"

Silly face

Precious face

Easily Amused

It has become quite the tradition for Pat to crack Quinn up when he gets home from work each evening. It is so much fun to see the admiration that Quinn has for his daddy (and his giggles never get old)! I'm afraid Quinn is going to be in for a rude awakening next week when he has to settle for just his mommy all day again.

Ice Ice Baby

Quinn experienced his first snow on New Year’s Day at his Grandma and Grandpa’s house. He didn’t seem to mind the cold at all (unlike his mom)!

Six Months!

The little guy is now half a year old. Madness! What has he been up to this month you might ask? Well, we'll tell you.

Stats:
Height: 27 inches (75th percentile)
Weight: 18 pounds 10 ounces (74th percentile)
Head Circumference: 44.5 centimeters (74th percentile)

Quinn is definitely developing his crawling technique. In fact, he is now practically an expert at getting himself into the crawling position. Now if he could just figure out how to move forward he'd be golden. Despite his best intentions, he has only managed to scoot himself in the opposite direction of his goal. However, he is pretty darn good at spinning around. He does this by exiting his crawl position and entering a belly flop like pose, using one arm to reposition himself. This motion is repeated until he reaches the desired direction. Effective, but a bit awkward. We're trying to let ourselves enjoy this immobile phase of his life but it's hard not to root for him to figure it out.

During this month Quinn was also introduced to his first batch of vegetables. His mother has been kind enough to make baby food out of sweet potatoes (his favorite), squash, carrots and peas for him to enjoy. Typically, Mom also throws some rice cereal in there to cut down on taste and to help fill his little belly. So far, he is a good little eater, already much less picky than his father.

As far as playing goes, Quinn is a pretty big fan of clapping (people clapping at him anyway), chewing (anything and everything) as well as everyone's favorite, peek-a-boo. One of his favorite forms is when we pretend to be asleep, and then wake up suddenly. It's pretty much guaranteed to result in an adorable giggle. (video soon to follow)

Quinn is also becoming quite the "talker". We can't quite figure out what he's trying to say, but that doesn't stop him from telling us. In the morning, or after a good nap he likes to let us know he's happy by cooing about as loud as a coo can be. It's super cute but at 6 in the morning it's not the most ideal sound to hear. Also, when he's chewing on something (which is often) he likes to belt out some "rawr rawrs" so we know he's working hard. He is also getting better at forming sounds like wah wah and dah dahh...which I'm pretty sure means "Dad" will be his first, and favorite word.

I think one of the most enjoyable milestones Quinn has reached this month is his ability to sit up. We are now able to plop him down in the middle of the floor and he doesn't immediately fall over! How novel! We can't quite leave him there as he does occasionally succeed in face planting or tipping over backwards, but it's still a lot of fun to see him sitting and playing with his toys without help. It also makes taking pictures a bit easier, as we don't always have to have our hands in the shot.

Bath time is one of his more active periods during the evening these days. He has a cute set of animal bath toys that he loves to splash after and try to eat, often causing a boisterous vocal display. We usually have him sitting up in the tub these days but his little bum likes to slip and slide every which way. We are currently looking into ways to help avoid this. Super glue has been suggested, but I worry it won't take hold quick enough under water.

Bed time routines have also had some new highs and lows. His nightly stories have become much more enjoyable as his face lights up when we bring out the books. He seems much more interested in following along and generally stays pretty happy through about 3 books. On the more unfortunate development side of bedtime, he has decided that sleeping for more than 3 hours at a time is overrated. We keep trying to convince him that sleeping through the night is pretty great but he's not buying it. Hopefully this phase does not last much longer.

I think that's about it for Quinn's sixth month on this planet. It is amazing to see him grow and develop and we can't wait to see what next month brings.

Quinn Meets Present

What do we have here?


Why it's a shiny gold box! I know what to do with this.


In you go...


Hmm...it's not quite fitting. Square peg, round hole type of thing.


I better try another angle.