Tidbits of Quinn

                          

As I sit trying to clean up my desktop a bit, I came across this page of notes that I'd been collecting.  Just little tidbits of the things that Quinn does and says throughout the day.    

Most of these happened in December and January.  It's fun to look back and remember these little moments that have made up our days.

*Before Christmas:

Me:  "What do you want for Christmas, Quinn?"

Quinn:  "Milk."

simple enough.

*To a UPS delivery man

Quinn:  "Where's Daddy?"

UPS Man: silence

Quinn: "Well, what about Porter?"  (a play date friend)

Apparently only Daddy and Porter are expected at our door.

*Naptime

Quinn (waving):  "Bye toys, see you later!" and then he proceeded to blow them a kiss.

                     

*Pat trying to take a nap:

Quinn:  "What you doing, Daddy?"

Pat:  "I'm just looking at this couch cushion, really close."

Quinn: "Okay" (without actually allowing Pat to nap, of course)

*Christmas gift exchange planning:

Pat: “Do we have to have a gift for Quinn for the gift exchange?”

Me: “Yes”

Pat: “Really?  Are you sure he’s old enough to compete.”

Me: cracking up

Pat: “What’s so funny?”

Me: “I didn’t realize it was a competition.”

Pat: “Well, yah.”

*Outside

Quinn: “Daddy, wook!  Wook!  Wucy, poot!”

Pat: “Lucy’s pooping?”

Quinn: “Yah, Lucy poot!  Wook!” (with his hands in a ta-da like pose)

Oh, poop.  Why are you so fascinating?

*One random day:

“Mommy, chocolate.  Chocolate.  I need chocolate for my tummy.”

You and me both, son.
                            

* Out of nowhere: 

Quinn- “Hi Frick”

Pat – “My name is Patrick.”

Quinn – “Yah, Frick.  Hi Frick!”

Pat – “My name is Patrick.  You call me Daddy.”

He wears these boots 90% of the time, rain or shine.

*Requests for Mommy

Q: "Mommy, I need more milk, more milk, more milk please mommy…” (as if I didn’t hear him the first time

Me: "Okay Pumpkin, I’ll get more milk for you."

Q: (chuckling) “Mommy, I (jibberish) not punkin, I Quinn.”

He clearly doesn’t understand pet names just yet. J

This guitar also comes out rather frequently.

*Blackout Evening (early March)

Pat and I were enjoying a relaxing evening on the couch for the first time in over a week . Between the family being sick and Kira and my trip to Oklahoma, it felt like Pat and I had been two passing ships in the night.  Out of nowhere, we had a power outage.  It wasn’t stormy, so this took us both by surprise.  Without power we decided we ought to just head up to bed (at just a little past nine) and catch up on some much needed sleep.  Pat grabbed a flashlight and I lit a candle and we headed upstairs.  That’s when I noticed an adorable little boy with his beloved doggie, sitting silently at the foot of the stairs.  I was startled, and if it weren’t for the power outage, I probably would have been annoyed.  I asked the obvious, “What are you doing Quinn?”  To which he responded with an equally obvious answer “Umm, I’m sitting here.”  Um, okay.  Pat and I told him that he needed to head up to bed, but as we were walking I whispered to Pat, “Let’s make this fun!”  You know, reward the kid for being naughty and sneaking out of his room to just be near the evening action.  Yikes.  Anyway, we did.  We had a book marathon party in the dark with flashlights and it was magical.  Quinn can be the sweetest kid on the planet, especially when he knows he’s getting away with something like staying up way past his bedtime.  J

* Kisses:

So, I ask for kisses a lot.  A LOT. 

Anyway, the other day I realized how annoying this must be to Quinn because he looked at me and sternly said, “One more”.  He obliged, but then signed while speaking (which is a true sign that he’s serious) “All done.”  I heard you son, loud and clear.  I won’t be asking for anymore kisses for at least one whole hour.  

  

*Don't mind the photos that have absolutely nothing to do with the post, or timeline.  They were all taken around our neighborhood in March.

Kira's 8th Month

                        

Two exciting things happened for Kira this month, she got her first two teeth (at the same time) and she learned to crawl!


Her teething experience was fairly pain-free.  She hadn't been sleeping great, but it was pretty typical, and so nothing felt out of the ordinary.  We were traveling to Monmouth one weekend to celebrate Chloe's third birthday, and the last hour stretch became a bit painful for both kids (normal).  Anyhow, I was trying to soothe Kira by letting her suck on my finger, since she had thrown her binky for the hundredth time, and that's when I felt a little tooth coming through.  Within a week her two bottom teeth had popped through and were plainly visible.


As mentioned previously, Kira had figured out how to get up on all fours and had been rocking in the previous month, but hadn't quite gained enough coordination to move forward in a traditional crawl.  On March 21, a light bulb went off in Kira's brain and she was crawling.  It started off quite wobbly and slow, and she's been gaining speed ever since.

Now that Kira's fully mobile, Quinn likes to pretend like she is his doggie.  He'll walk around and pat his leg saying, "Come eer, Kira, come girl, come eer."  And when she follows his directions he'll pat her head and say "Good girl."  He also enjoys a game a fetch every now and then (read: daily).  After tossing a toy he'll say with encouragement, "Go get it, Kira, go get it."  He'll also toss a toy away from himself and urge her to go and fetch it when he doesn't want to share.  This doesn't work as effectively, for her objective is usually to be with him.

Auntie Riah came and spent a few days with us this month, and Kira (Pat, Quinn, and I) loved having her around.  We traveled back to Monmouth to celebrate Easter with the family (one week early) as well.  So, much of the month was spent with family.  Kira didn't get the whole Easter thing this year, of course.  But, she looked cute sitting in her little dress while the bigger kids raced around gathering eggs.

She also sat in a swing for the first time.  Her face stayed like this the whole time.

Kira experimented a little with couch walking this month, but mainly tripped over her feet while doing so.  I'd say she moved a foot or two at a time (while holding on).  She certainly prefers to be on her feet, even though she can get wherever she'd like to go by crawling.
                                       

Happiest with a little dirt and leaves to chew on.

 The last days of her 8th month, Kira pulled herself up at her exersaucer and let go.  I was sitting next to her and saw the fear in her eyes when she realized that she had no support, at which point she immediately held on again.  The balance isn't there yet!




Kira had been quite the mama's girl up until this point, but something shifted and she became quite fond of Daddy as well.  In fact, she may have preferred him.  She lit up whenever he entered the room, and seemed to be happiest in his arms.  He's quite smitten as well.





We love you, baby girl!  Happy 8 months!

Happy Birthday, Pat!

Today we celebrated Pat's 28th birthday.  It's the first year since we've lived in Seattle that we haven't had friends over to help us celebrate.  Pat said that he wanted to keep things low key with just the kids and me, and so I listened.  

I hate to make things too easy on myself, and so I decided to bake him a chocolate cake from scratch using a recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe (thanks for mentioning her, Amy).  I'm LOVING this food blog.  You should check it out if you don't know about her already.  I've yet to make something that I haven't enjoyed.

He worked all day, but came home to his little family very excited to see him.  We had a few gifts wrapped on the table for him, and Quinn had to use every bit of restraint that he had in him not to devour the cake and tear into "daddy's birfday presents" before Pat got home.                              

 Quinn volunteered to help open each and every one of Pat's gifts.  He's such a helper.     "Here ya go, Daddy.  Here's a birfday present for you."   

 After presents we took a quick dinner break.  Pat requested French Dip sandwiches and Sun chips (random).  Seriously, could he have made this any easier on me this year?  They were delicious, and simple.

 And then it was time for cake!  Quinn did the best I've ever heard him when it came time for singing happy birthday.  It's fun to see him starting to get this birthday celebration thing.  I wish I could say the cake was the best thing I've ever tasted.  I'm just really not much of a cake person, and honestly, Pat would probably appreciate a box or store bought cake just as much.  But, I show love through acts of service, and so I felt good about my efforts.    

 Happy birthday, Patrick David!  You are loved!

And, tomorrow we have a babysitter coming so we can enjoy a meal out sans children!  Date nights are few and far between these days and so I'm really looking forward to a couple of hours out.  The thought of eating a warm meal without having to entertain children has become quite foreign to me.  I think I'll manage, though.

Happy weekend!

Kira's 7th Month

Things started to really get interesting around here during Kira's 7th month.

                     

The month started out with a trip to Milton-Freewater to celebrate Delaney's first birthday!  It's so fun to imagine Kira and Delaney growing up only six months apart in age.  In no time, I suspect these two will have a lot of fun together.  My wish is that they consider each other great friends one day.

At Delaney's party we discovered Kira's love of paper.  This obsession is nothing to take lightly.  If there is paper around, Kira will find it, and she will choke.  I have finger swept her mouth multiple times due to paper ingestion.  This girl is already keeping me on my toes.

Evidence

Kira also had quite a bit of physical developments occur this month.  She perfected her army crawl, and from there developed the ability to go from her army crawl to a sitting position.  Finally, towards the end of the month she shocked us all when I found her standing in her crib after a nap one day.  She's been spending the majority of her time on her feet ever since.  

Craptastic phone pic.  Look how proud of herself she is!

 

Kira, my mom and I took a girls trip to Oklahoma City to see my dear friend Heather perform her graduate voice recital from Oklahoma City University.  The trip was everything I needed and more, and seeing the transformation that Heather has made as an artist over the past two years was breathtaking.  Her performance brought the audience to tears.  It was unforgettable.  Next time we see her it'll be on Broadway, and I can't wait!  Anyway, Kira traveled quite well, especially considering she had been quite sick that week and was getting over her first ear infection.  She got to hang out at the hotel with a complete stranger (a babysitter that Heather had arranged for us).  Apparently she slept all but about 30 of the minutes we were gone.  I don't have any pictures of Kira from this trip.


Finally, when we returned from this trip there was a rocking chair waiting for me in Kira's room.  I never had a rocker with Quinn, and up until this point hadn't used one with Kira.  What was I thinking??  It's been the single best luxury investment we've made when it comes to parenting.  Middle of the night feedings aren't nearly as painful anymore.  Speaking of, sleep patterns continued to vary for Kira this month.  There were times when she would only wake once or twice to eat, and others when she would wake every couple of hours.   I haven't done any sleep training with Kira yet.  It'll probably happen eventually, but so far we're making it work.  

 Happy 7 months, Kira!  We love you!!!

Kids' Rooms!

We moved into our house about six months ago and I've been having fun decorating ever since.  The kids' rooms were the first to be completed because we wanted them to be able to settle in as quickly as possible (particularly Quinn).  These two spaces might be my favorite in the house so far. Kid spaces are so fun to create!

I'll share Kira's nursery first.  I was first introduced to Pinterest when dreaming up this space. I had been pining over her bedding before I even knew I was pregnant with a girl, and it was the first thing I bought as soon as we found out (one day later).   I didn't waste any time.

                                        

I realize this is not a  flattering photo of Kira (seriously, what is up with that expression) or a very good shot of the bedding.  It's the best I've got so go with it.  I loved all of the colors there were to work with in the bumper, and I'm a complete sucker for a paisley print.  Therefore, I was sold.

Here it is!  This is the view as you walk in the room (obviously, I assume).

Jamie deserves the majority of the credit for the inspiration.  Well, Jamie and Pinterest.  :)  Our brother-in-law, Eric, installed the wainscoting and we LOVE it!  It is the icing on the cake for me.  Pat gets the credit for the tree mural (although, the idea is not original.  Blame Pinterest.)

                         
Mariah and I created the flower balls (tutorial found via Pinterest).  They took a ridiculous amount of time (I think it ended up being about 24 hours of labor), but they are pretty and I love them.  Originally I had intended for them to function as a mobile above the crib, but I ended up not wanting to distract from the tree and so they decorate the other corner of the room.  I may request that Kira keep them up until she graduates high school, though.  It seems reasonable to me.

Here's the view from the window.  I have a lot of place holders in the frames now.  I need to place a print order soon, but have gotten quite used to the paper placeholders.  

A close-up of the sign I had made for her room.  Some of my wishes for my girl.  

The decorated armoire/dresser thingy, which I didn't get a good shot of either.  The book is Wherever You Are My Love Will Find You by Nancy Tillman which is the same author who wrote On the Night You Were Born.  That book is sentimental to us because for Quinn's first birthday we received a personalized version of the book, complete with pictures from the night Quinn was born.  Thanks again, Jamie!  So, I figured the 'sister' book was appropriate decor for Kira's room.  

And that sums up her space.  Thanks to everyone who helped make it so special for us!

Now, on to Quinn's room!

In our townhome, I had decided on a Dr. Seuss theme for Quinn's toddler space.  He's not an avid Seuss fan or anything, but he enjoys the books and once again, I was inspired by the bedding.    

  

The view as you walk in the room.

The view from the other side of the room.  The "art" is simply cut out Seuss characters taped onto scrapbook paper.  Simple.

And, the ridiculously fabulous scene that Pat created, inspired by The Lorax (book, not movie).  I love this mural so much, and love the fact that Pat enjoyed creating this awesomeness for his boy.  Sadly, Quinn doesn't really appreciate it.  Hopefully one day he will.

Seuss bed!

Painted Ikea spice racks, used as book storage.  Thanks for the idea, Pinterest!

And, finally, I present to you a quick snapshot of the kids themselves.  Kira climbing on Quinn is pretty typical these days.  I love how he's gazing lovingly at her and she's just after Lucy.  Her tongue comes out and her eyes disappear when she's particularly excited.  They are a fun pair.

Kira's 6th Month

Wow, half-way through the first year.  This feels like such a landmark.  I had big plans of editing together a video of highlights from her life so far.  Ha!  Who do I think I am?  I swear I have good intentions, but they rarely come to fruition.  Sadly, as I sit down to reflect on this time several more months have already passed.  I'll refer to my notes...

At six months, Kira loved to be in her jumper.  She would gladly spend her wakeful hours jumping away as long as Quinn was near her playing.  She also spent time on her play mat and enjoyed having a bucket of toys placed near her to rummage through.



It seemed as if Kira was beginning to become frustrated by her lack of mobility at this time, complete with grunts and all.  She did begin inching her way around and scooting herself from point A to point B ever so slowly with her feet.

One of Kira's favorite times of day was (and is) bath time.  I share in this love of baths, and so many of our evenings were spent soaking together.  I cherish those calm and quiet moments alone with her before Quinn inevitably joins in.



Kira's an eater, and was no longer satisfied by breast milk alone.  I had to start introducing nightly dinners, but I didn't get too creative with what I served.  She ate a lot of sweet potato, apple, pear, and avocado.  I pureed some peas for her and she was so repulsed that she gagged them right up.  I continued to try (since I had made a full batch) by adding some cereal or fruit to the mix, but she wouldn't have it.  I thought she'd eat anything, but then realized I just hadn't been introducing her to much variety.  It continues to be a work in progress.

When it comes to her sleep habits, I don't have any notes.  This means one of two things.  A:  She was sleeping so dreamily I didn't want to jinx us. B: She was sleeping so terribly I didn't want to relive the pain. Either are quite possible, for she has gone through phases of both, waking only once in the night to phases of waking every couple of hours (or worse).  It's safe to say that over the course of the month both scenarios occurred.  What I do know is she wasn't sleeping through the night, nor is she now.  One day I will sleep again.  I hope.
                    

We had some of our very best friends, The Lincolns, visit us towards the beginning of Kira's sixth month which was undoubtedly a highlight for her.  We shared snowy adventures, and thoroughly enjoyed our time together.  Shortly after they left I decided to say goodbye to the pack 'n play that Kira had been sleeping in in our room and introduced her to her own space.  (I look forward to sharing pictures of her nursery soon!)  She took to the transition seamlessly, and it was nice to have our room to ourselves for the first time since moving into our house.  Nursing her on the floor in the corner of her room was less dreamy, but I'll get to that more next month.  



Kira continued to show immense love for her brother.  She was (and still is) happiest when he is around.  He doesn't even need to be nice to her.  As long as he is near her, she's a happy girl.  She continued to find his antics quite hilarious, and no one can make her laugh quite like him.  Reflecting on this bond makes the hairs stand up on my skin.  I couldn't be more grateful.

What joy you bring to our lives, Miss Kira!  We sure do love you!