A Blog About Nothing

SNOW!

2012-01-23T23:46:00.000-08:00

This is a post about snow, and the people who saw it.

The first weekend in January, Kim thought it would be a good idea to take Quinn sledding. She decided this Saturday night, and the only tickets available for tubing at Snoqualmie the next day was for the 9-11 session. That seemed a bit early for me, but we somehow got ready and on the road in time to make it.

Quinn sort of ready to go

Checking out the snow in the parking lot

Fully geared up

Daddy is tired, but we are here

The whole family decked out in our snow gear

So we made it up the mountain with relative ease, found parking, got everyone dressed and made it into the little lodge, tickets in hand. Now all we had to do was inner tube.

I was the first to take Quinn down the hill, and I must say I did a pretty bad job. I didn't quite figure out how we both fit in the little tubes, so my heels kicked snow into our faces the whole way down. Neither Quinn or I were fans of that. Despite this, Quinn still said he had fun, so I dragged him back up the hill for a second run. (There were tow ropes but the line was long and I thought I was in decent shape.) We both did better the second time down, but by this time Quinn had soaked his gloves and thought it was better to not wear anything.

This sort of looks like a 'let's do this' pose, but I think his hands were starting to freeze

Yep. They're frozen.

After the second round, Kim and I decided to switch. She wanted to go down with Quinn, but also wanted me to take back some excess stuff to the car. Two kids and a DSLR are a bit unwieldy in the snow. Not to mention I was sweating something fierce after dragging Quinn and a tube up the hill a couple of times. So I took the opportunity to take off some layers as well.

Kira getting sleepy while we waited for Kim and Quinn to show up

There they are!

Sort of ready to go again

Scoot

Scoot more

Here they go!

I think Quinn made it down the hill 5 or 6 times that day and that was plenty for everyone. He had fun, but his gloves were pretty crappy and that definitely impacted the fun (we of course remedied this AFTER the snowfall I'm going to talk about next). We packed up, headed home, and I for one thought that was the last of our snow adventures for a while.

The next week our friends from California, the Lincolns, came to visit. That Saturday, it started. Snow. At first, it was magical. We brought the kids out, let them run around and soak up the fun that is 'the first snow'.

Quinn venturing into the harsh winter weather

Max and Quinn exploring the sidewalk while Mommy played with the Lincoln's camera

We all had fun, and it was nice having friends around to share the moment with. We followed it up with some hot (or lukewarm for the kids) cocoa. As is tradition.

The snow continued...

The next day the Lincolns wanted to experience tubing themselves, and so we all set out for the mountain yet again. At least this time it wasn't the early session, so I wasn't quite so tired, which is good for everyone. It was a little hectic getting out of town, as the snow had set down a pretty decent cover, which prompted Kim (who insisted on driving for some reason) to propose turning back about 30 times on the way up, but we forged on. You may recognize some of the locations we hit on the way.

35th Ave in Bothell. A tad slick.

The traditional mountain pre-stop

It was definitely snowing

Kim and I got some breakfast sandwiches and Quinn got a chocolate donut. He likes those.

Quinn in back. He still looked a bit tired.

Hmm..it's looking better?

And then, no snow. Weird.

The snow did return as we climbed in altitude but we found the parking lot and spots right next to each other. Yay! You'll notice I don't have any pictures this time, as it became clear to us the first trip that having a camera and both kids up in the snow was not that fun. You'll just have to take my word for it that Quinn had a great couple of runs and was really loving tubing. But then his hands got cold, and that ended it. Stupid gloves. The Lincolns didn't have much more luck with Max and I think only got in a couple of runs themselves. Such is life with kids I guess.

We went back to the little cabin next to the parking lot, warmed up, got hot cocoa AND some sizable brownies which seemed to cheer up the kids pretty well. Imagine that. We got back to the cars, disrobed, and headed out. Unfortunately, it wasn't the easiest 'out' we've ever had.

The parking lot guys didn't realize we were leaving so they waved us down into the second parking lot. Kim realized pretty quickly this wasn't what we wanted so we headed back out, but despite the tires still turning, we stopped about halfway up the hill. Uh oh. I jumped out and tried pushing, which sort of worked, but we got stuck again a foot or so further. Ritchie jumped out of the car the Lincolns were in and came to assist me. After some yelling, some pushing, and some running behind the car, we finally got out of the lot. At the time we were leaving, the westbound traffic was now required to use chains, and the eastbound traffic (us) was required to have traction tires, which we didn't have, so it was pretty slow going on the way back. I did snap some pictures of the pretty landscape though.

Look, snow!

Look, frozen waterfalls! and snow!

We made it back home safe and sound, said farewell to the Lincolns and once again, I thought the worst of the snow days might be behind us. I'm pretty dumb though.

The snow continued...again

Snowpocalypse, as the news liked to call it, hit us pretty hard Tuesday so I ended up working from home the rest of the week. Wednesday, we thought we'd try our hand at playing in the snow and play we did. We have evidence and everything!

Kira braved the weather with the rest of us...from the porch

Why are we out here Mom and Dad?!

Look, snow...everywhere!

Quinn and I stacking some snow. It never quite became a snow man, but oh well.

She's so cute!

Still cute!

We're bonding!

The epic snow mound of doom! Quinn liked to slide down it almost prompting me to build a snow slide. Maybe next time.

She's cuter than I am, but I think I hold my own.

The cutest girls of all!

The family posing...in the street. Super safe.

Kira was pretty tuckered out after all the fun

I don't remember why he got sad but...

...chocolate fixes most problems. As is tradition.

So that's basically it. It thawed out Saturday and the only reminder of our snowy past are the former snow men (or mounds of doom) that still linger long past the melt of their brethren. I have to say, I don't miss it.

Kira: 5 Months

2012-01-21T22:08:00.000-08:00

We are starting to see bits of personality emerge from Kira, and it's been so fun to watch. She is an observer, and Quinn is her favorite subject to study. She finds him fascinating and hilarious, particularly when he is misbehaving. He loves to make her laugh as well, and so they have a pretty good partnership going.

This month she became a pro at rolling and is rolling from back to tummy and tummy to back. She prefers to be on her stomach nowadays, though. She also scoots herself around using her feet from time to time. I get the feeling that she is just itching to be able to keep up with her brother already.

She has also been working on sitting. On her 5 month birthday she sat for 20 seconds, roughly. She is pretty wobbly still, but with each day she seems to gain more and more control. Her stomach muscles are definitely developing.

Her 4-month sleeping nightmare slowed down halfway through her fifth month, but she is still waking at least two times a night to eat, on average. She also has a very late bedtime. It's 10:00pm as I sit and write, and she just woke up from what she seems to think was just a nap. She tends to settle for good by midnight, but I intend to start implementing an 8:00 bedtime for her soon. Like, tomorrow. She is also still sleeping in a pack 'n play in our room (or in bed with us). I also intend to move her to her crib, tomorrow. :)

This month Kira was introduced to banana and avocado in a mesh feeder. She loves food so much, and hates to watch us eat without being allowed to eat herself. As in, she fusses until she's eating as well (for dinnertime at least). I don't blame her! Food is delicious!

She has two comfort items that she can't sleep without. The first is her binky, and the second is her "so-soft", a little blanket. She loves to bury her head in the blanket and can't seem to settle without it.

Kira is also quite vocal. She loves the sound of her own voice, and she is loud! I have a feeling she'll make sure she's heard in this family.

Kira celebrated her first Christmas, and it came at a perfect time for her developmentally. She was ready to start playing with her toys as soon as she received them.

I have finally began to accept the fact that she's a developing baby, and I am embracing this rather than feeling nostalgic about the newborn phase ending. Infants are pretty fun, and Kira is no exception!

Happy 5 months, sweet girl! We love you!

Quinn: 30 months!

2012-01-21T09:26:00.001-08:00

Days before Christmas, Quinn turned 2 ½. He has been through a lot of change in the past six months and while many facets of his personality have been evident for what feels like years already, many things have also changed.

Yesterday I asked Pat to think of a word to describe Quinn. Without hesitation, Pat responded with “boisterous”. According to Merriam-Webster boisterous means:

a: noisily turbulent: rowdy

b: marked by or expressive of exuberance and high spirits

I think Pat nailed it.

July:

He met Master Chief at 343 Studios.

He ran into an old stroller strides friend on the beach, and they played nakedly together.

First dentist appointment

Enjoying the jumpy castle at my 10 year high school reunion.

Some of the major changes that have occurred in Quinn’s life over the past six months include switching day cares and ultimately staying home full-time with me, moving to a new home in a newish city, and most obviously, the birth of his sister Kira. Quinn has loved Kira from the beginning. He truly loves her and this love is evident in the way he looks at her, talks to her, plays near her, and this love seems to be developing with each passing day. Just this morning when he woke up he shouted for her. My heart swells with pride as I think of his love for his sister. However, he has certainly faced challenges during this transition. The challenges are most obviously seen in his behavior.

August:

First park date after Kira was born

Admiring Kira while showing Grandma Cathy and Mariah the new house. He and Mariah found a fun little hiding spot.

Swinging at Grandma Cathy's house in the summer

Dancing with and tackling Chloe

Trampoline fun and puppy love on the farm

Taking a sunset stroll with Chloe and their gardening gloves.

I have spent many of the past six months worrying about Quinn. I hate to admit it, but it is true. I worry about his negative behaviors. His talking back, his expressive death glares, his folded arms, his temper tantrums, his safety. He has run away from me in public at a park. My child is strong-willed and he is testing his boundaries. I also worry about his eating habits. The kid eats far too much junk, and far too few veggies. I worry about him watching too much TV. I worry about him not having enough social time with other kids his age. I worry that his exuberant personality can make him difficult to love and I worry about how this will affect his relationship with his peers and authoritative figures over the years. I worry about whether or not we’ll be sending him to college with a handful of binks. I worry. I tell myself that worrying about a child is normal. And for me, I think it helps to fuel a motivation in me to work harder. Discipline more. I also pray that a lot of this is all normal two-year-old stuff and that in time many of these worries will fade. Time will tell.

September:

The Chesnuts came to meet Kira. Quinn his smitten with these two little girls.

Fun at Remlinger Farms

His first solo carousel ride.

First roller coaster. He loved it!

Quinn’s boisterous personality comes with innumerable endearing qualities that make Pat and I proud. As we sat down to reflect on Quinn at 2 ½ we found ourselves getting carried away with all of the things that we love about Quinn. First and foremost, we love his relationship with Kira. We love seeing a nurturing side come out as he cares for her, tends to her when she is upset by dancing goofily, giving her binkies, showering her with tickles, helping feed her bottles, sharing his toys, reading her stories and kissing her every night before bed. He shows empathy with Kira, and it is so refreshing to see that characteristic within him.

October:

One of his first pictures in the new house/sharing his favorite toys with Kira.

Helping Grandpa build Mommy's new dresser.

So Quinn. Binkies and milk. His two most comforting items.

Bathtime fun with Delaney during the family work weekend.

He doesn't really know the movie Cars too well, but Pat was excited to see Mator (I think that's the character's name) at the mall while we were couch shopping.

More work.

Making play dough

Playing with the play dough!

Sharing the playdough with his cousins! We got to meet Ruby for the first time this month.

Painting. October brings out the crafting in us.

Playing dress-up

Uncle Ryan's old Halloween costume. Too big for this year... maybe next!

He found the cutest little pumpkin in the patch!

Quinn was Snoopy! The profile of this costume is the best, and this was the best picture I could find.

Trick-or-treating in our new neighborhood!

He has an inventive imagination. He gets this from his Daddy. His favorite toys are his Toy Story toys and he flies Buzz around (with sound effects and all) to rescue the other characters. His favorite thing right now is a lasso, which Pat made for him using spare rope from the garage. Quinn will lasso his toys, he will lasso himself, he will lasso the air. The kid loves to lasso. He loves to invent games. Tag games, racing games, rescue games, etc… While his preference is to play with mommy or daddy, he is also capable of sitting and playing independently. While his creative spirit can be exhausting, it is a quality that we treasure.

November:

Playing "I'm gonna gettchu" with Ryan!

Soccer!

Loving Kira

Quinn loves to play with puzzles, and we were averaging two hours a day with puzzles in the month of December. He has graduated from peg-in-shape puzzles to the traditional puzzle. Currently he is mastering every 24 piece puzzle in the house.

He also loves to draw and color. In recent months he’s shown an ability to target specific spots on the page, although he often chooses not too. The days of simply scribbling may be numbered.

He loves to read books, and he requests books throughout the day in addition to our traditional nighttime stories. When Quinn gets a new book, he will study it carefully as Pat and I read it to him. After a couple times through Quinn insists on reading the book himself. He amazes us with his ability to memorize the pictures and key vocabulary from each page.

Quinn is certainly in a phase where his ability to learn and acquire new skills and vocabulary is abundantly clear. He is showing a desire to learn, and this has been fun for me. In recent months he has developed a love of letters and at this point I’d say he knows at least 20 consistently. He can also count to twelve, although his accuracy is inconsistent. He has shown little interest in colors, and only seems to recognize blue and red. I try not to push the academic stuff at home, but have fun working with him when he is interested.

He loves music and will put in a CD and start a dance party spontaneously throughout the day several times each week. I love this!

He also loves water and since I don’t take him to swim classes, he has learned to settle for showers in the morning and baths at night. He spends at least an hour a day in the water. His favorite thing to do is take cups and practice pouring water from one to the other.

Quinn has been our athletic little stunt-man for as long as I can remember, and this continues to be the case. He loves to run, jump, climb, hop, and according to Pat, “he still throws lefty and righty!” I remember when we first found out I was pregnant Pat had a dream that he was playing catch with a little boy. This was before we knew Quinn was a boy. Pat’s dream has certainly become a reality in the past six months. Playing catch and baseball is just one of the many things they do together each day.

December:

Enjoying some holiday festivities at the country village with a train ride and meeting Mrs. Claus.

Eating sweets and refusing to pose with Mommy in his holiday best.

Merry Christmas!

Quinn has proved to have a sensitive side to him as well. In familiar environments, he has a dominating and controlling personality. However, in unfamiliar settings he becomes more shy and introverted. Recently we were at a coffee shop that had a toy area for kids, and I observed an older child take a toy from Quinn. He stood there stunned, but quiet, and I watched his little spirit crumble. He tried to contain his emotion, but within minutes he ran to me and burst into tears. While it breaks my heart to see him upset, I am grateful for these experiences. I hope that it will help strengthen his ability to empathize with his friends in the future when his dominating nature takes over.

Quinn is also quite charming with his manners. He has learned to say please, thank-you, and you’re welcome regularly and unprompted (well, most of the time). If he really wants something he’ll bust out his signing skills as well. “Mommy, I want a cookie, pleeeeeeease” (while rubbing his chest in a circular motion, the sign for please).

His speech has developed dramatically over the past six months. He’s speaking in fragmented sentences. He does spend a lot of time babbling, but we can usually pick out what he’s trying to say because there are several words within each sentence that are familiar. He has even proven to be a bit bilingual of late. “Ayudame Mama, Ayudame!” And who said television wasn’t educational?

Potty training feels like it’s a world away still. He goes through phases of being interested in the toilet, but he has never accomplished anything while sitting there. I think he just likes to be naked. At this point, I’m not interested in rushing it. He has however started to show interest in dressing himself, and he puts his boots on independently each day. Quinn is obsessed with boots.

So there you have it. A random account of Quinn at 2 1/2.

He is our boisterous little boy who will be to blame for me going gray early in life; but, he is so full of love and adventure, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to be his parents.

Happy 2 ½ little guy! We love you so much!

Kira's 4th Month

2012-01-20T09:41:00.000-08:00

Notes from when Kira turned 4 months:

Milestone: Rolling! Kira rolled over for the first time on the 4-month anniversary of her birth. And then she rolled again and again. The third roll is the one I captured on video, and you’ll be able to see she got pretty upset after that third time. I think that between the shock of rolling and hitting her head on the wood floor three times, she had had it! Poor baby, but way to go! Mommy and Quinn were so impressed!

What’s new: Kira started to get more active. She discovered her limbs and seemed to find them fascinating. She was particularly obsessed with her feet, and when put in her swing she’d lift a foot and examine it carefully while experimenting with its ability to move from side to side.

Sleep: Kira’s dreamy sleep habits dissipated. It may have been because we didn't have her sleeping in her inclined bassinet anymore, or perhaps the cold that she’s had, or maybe it was simply the 4-month sleeping curse. I hear most babies experience it. She was not successful at sleeping for long periods of time and woke to nurse at least every two hours. Co-sleeping kept me (relatively) sane.

Mommy and Kira on her first Thanksgiving!

Cute 'lil Thanksgiving tights

Getting some "sugar" from her Great Grandma Hines

Bubbles!

Little photo shoot with cousin Delaney. I look forward to seeing what kind of friendship develops between these two as the years progress.

Love you, baby!

* I should have 4 month stats for Kira, but I've become a slacker of a mom and just this week scheduled her 4-month appointment. She'll be a week shy of 6 months when we go in... I'm just on my own little schedule with this one. Ah well...

Kira's Third Month

2012-01-19T21:21:00.000-08:00

Here's what was happening during Kira's 3rd month:

Favorite place to be: Swing. Kira spent the majority of her day time naps in her swing during this month. She preferred to sleep at an incline and so the swing was perfect. Who am I kidding, she spent a lot of her awake time in the swing as well!

Dislikes: Kira was crankiest when she was overtired and/or hungry. But, who isn’t? Luckily she was a good eater and sleeper, and so we didn’t have to deal with a cranky Kira very often.

Tummy time was still a challenge for Kira at 3 months. Here you can see her working hard to lift her head. Good work, Kira! It'll get easier!

Milestones: Giggles! There is no sweeter sound than a baby giggling. I’m convinced. Some of the things that made her laugh were Grandma’s silly sounds, Quinn’s crazy personality, and being bounced on a bed (my cheap trick whenever I wanted to hear those sweet giggles).

Kira got to go on two road trips with mommy and Quinn because daddy was working far too much! She got to meet her newest cousin, Ruby June, and Ruby really loved her! We also took a trip to Walla Walla where Kira decided that her Grandma Darlene was pretty funny. Grandma was the first person to get a laugh out of our little miss.

Kira also celebrated her first Halloween this month.

She was a little lamb and slept on me during our trick-or-treating adventures with Quinn.

Quinn was Snoopy and loved ringing the doorbells around our neighborhood. He didn't even care about the candy; he was just interested in "push(ing) more buttons". If only that was his attitude about candy every other day of the year. :)

As I look through photos from this time in Kira's life, I am reminded just how much Quinn has loved his sister from the beginning. There are so many photos of him trying to tickle, hug, kiss, and simply lay with Kira. I am so grateful for this relationship and pray that they continue to develop a positive sibling bond over the months and years.

She was a darling little lamb, if I do say so myself.

Happy three months, Kira!

Kira's Second Month

2011-12-15T21:20:00.000-08:00

October 7, 2 months

Kira's second month is basically a blur, poor girl! You see, Kira's second month was the month we were packing up our apartment and moving into our house. I was keenly aware of my absentmindedness, though, and so I took thorough notes about Kira's daily developments (you know, since there is so much going on in the life of a two month old). Now, if only I could find that notebook! I've been putting off this post for far too long, confident that the notebook will unpack itself from the garage. That doesn't seem to be happening, though. If I ever find it I'll come back and edit my errors. But for now, I'll just do my best and keep it brief.

Stats: Taken one week before turning 3 months. I'm terrible at scheduling those appointments on time. Call me crazy, but something about signing up to have my child poked has a way of moving down on my priority list.

Height: 23 3/4 inches (72nd percentile)

Weight: 13.2 pounds (78th percentile)

Head Circumference: 41 centimeters (82nd percentile)

Sadly, I remember clearly that Kira hated her shots and spent the rest of the day miserable. There's no forgetting that experience.

Sleep: Kira was sleeping well at night (usually only waking once to eat), could be put down in her bassinet and would fall asleep on her own. It was dreamy (my, how things have changed).

Likes: Quinn. Kira loved to lay on her play mat and watch Quinn play with a big grin on her face. Eating. When she knew she was about to eat she was her happiest.

Dislikes: Thrush. Kira never showed signs of pain or discomfort with her thrush, but mama hated it! Tummy time. When put on her tummy Kira would just lay her head down and practically fall asleep. She didn't seem motivated to build up that neck and back strength except for when she was at the doctor’s office. Then she decided to be a real show off and lift her chest up off the table. She knew the only person who really cared about her tummy time development was her pediatrician, apparently.

Fun Fact: At two months, if Kira got upset (which was rare), we learned that the easiest way to soothe her was to simply put her down. Who would've thought? This is something I’m not sure I would have been capable of figuring out if she was my first child. Out of necessity we learned this little trick. It can be a bit depressing, but it is very convenient

And, that's about it! At least until I find the notebook.

Laughter is Contagious

2011-12-15T12:24:00.001-08:00

... for my kids at least!

Aren't they sweet? They've been making each other laugh all morning.

Still Thankful

2011-12-15T08:51:00.000-08:00

I set out a goal in November to blog daily about something that I am thankful for. I failed. However, I am no less thankful even though I didn't take the time to sit down and write about it. Being the stubborn person that I am, I am determined to finish my list. Maybe I'll do better next year (by setting a more achievable goal for myself).

Day 22: Blogs. I bragged earlier about Kira's impressive sleeping fluke(s). Sadly, long stretches of sleep have not been her norm of late. So, I've become an avid blog surfer. I've always loved following blogs of friends (and that's still my favorite), but there are some entertaining writers (particularly moms) out there who keep me entertained day and night. I blame/credit Jamie for this new found form of entertainment.

Day 23: Pinterest. I love everything about it. If you aren't on this site you are really missing out. There are so many great ideas out there and Pinterest is the place where these ideas are shared. I've gotten home decor inspiration there, craft ideas for Quinn, and have recently become obsessed with the plethora of recipes that can be found on pinterest. And, when I decide to start wearing anything other than sweats again, I plan to look there for some style inspiration, too!

Day 24: New recipes. This could be linked in with Pinterest, but I've been cooking new things each night (nothing particularly healthy, unfortunately) and it's been so fun, and DELICIOUS! I do plan to start trying some of the healthier recipes out there too, but something about this time of year and healthy just doesn't mix.

Day 25: Exercise. All of this unhealthy eating can just be balanced out by exercise, right? Like, once a week? Because that's what I've been averaging. But seriously, I am thankful for exercise, and Stroller Strides (my mommy exercise class) most specifically. Those endorphins are real, and if it were a little warmer and if Quinn didn't scream through the classes, I'd be going 5 days a week (okay, maybe 4). Instead, I'm hoping to take up some home video exercise routines. Pat, if you're reading this, I'm thinking some Yoga or Pilates might be good for me. :)

Day 26: Sunshine. I haven't been seeing much of it lately, but when I do I sure am thankful for it. This time of year can get pretty dreary around here, and so when the sun makes a visible appearance it's that much more appreciated.

Day 27: Family pets. Had I completed this list in November when I was supposed to, I probably (most certainly) wouldn't have thought to include our pets. However, on our sixth wedding anniversary Pat and I lost our cat Jules, unexpectedly. I don't want to get too heavy right now, but it has been really difficult. Loss is hard, and we're still adjusting to our new family dynamic without Jules. She was loved and is missed. On a positive note, her death has caused me to appreciate Jerry (her brother) and Lucy much more, and my hope is that Jerry will become less reclusive now that he doesn't have Jules to hide away with each day.

Day 28: Showers. If I'm really going out on a limb, I'd say showers alone. But honestly, I'll take a shower any way I can get it. And, I do. I manage to shower each day (but it usually isn't until the afternoon) and it has become one of my favorite pastimes. My, that makes my life seem pretty pathetic, doesn't it?

Day 29: Friendships. I am so thankful for my friends, even though my few closest friends live so far away. I am also thankful for Quinn's friendships and am working at developing these relationships for both of us.

Day 30: Date nights. Pat and I haven't had many date nights, well, since Quinn was born (if I'm being perfectly honest). However, last weekend Grandma Cathy took the train up from Salem so that Pat and I could attend Pat's work party and go out for our anniversary. Although our anniversary date turned out to be quite sombre (since we lost Jules that day), our first date to Pat's work party was a lot of fun and reminded me how important it is for us to still remember to date, even though we are parents now. So, I'll add that to my New Year's Resolution (aka: 30 Before 30) list. Thank you Grandma Cathy, and I love you Pat!

There, I did it! 30 (although not consecutive) Days of Thankfulness!

Puzz's and Jump-Jacking

2011-12-14T22:28:00.000-08:00

I plan to finish my thankful list in one quick post, but first I want to share a couple of videos of Quinn. I just downloaded about a years worth of photos/video to filter through from my phone (and I'm not great at filtering) but I've narrowed it down to two for the evening (both taken yesterday).

This first video is of Quinn doing what he does best, "puzz's" (translation: puzzles). He is obsessed. We've been spending close to two hours a day doing puzzles for the past couple of weeks and I filmed him several times last week. His average time was 10 minutes, and so when he did one yesterday in 6 I was pretty impressed. So, here you have it. All 6 minutes of Quinn and his favorite animal puzzle. I simply share this to document Quinn's speech and puzzle skills at 2 1/2. If you actually watch the whole thing, I'll be impressed! :)

The last video is of Quinn and Pat doing jumping jacks. He's not quite coordinated enough to do them yet, but in the beginning you'll hear him count to ten (Pat gets him started). He says it quickly so you'll have to listen closely. I've tried to capture his counting on video in the past, and he totally played dumb every time. Little stinker.

Day 21

2011-11-21T09:36:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for a decent night of SLEEP!!!

Apparently it just took a little (pseudo) public complaining about Kira's sleeping habits to get her sleeping through the night. Well, last night at least. I'll take it. And for my own personal records, I feel the need to document just how well she did. You see, Kira is our night owl. She goes to bed at midnight. In the beginning I welcomed any one-on-one time with her that I could get, and this was just easiest after Quinn went to bed. I recognize that I am to blame for her disinterest in a "normal" bedtime. The more rational side of me knows that this is not the kind of routine that I should be encouraging and so I've been slowly trying to get her to go to bed a bit earlier (quite unsuccessfully).

Enough backstory.

Last night Kira went to sleep (in her swing downstairs with me) at 8pm, right after Quinn went to sleep. She woke up around 11, ate, and then went to sleep in her bassinet in our room until 6am!! That's 7 hours straight!! And as I type this (just before 10am), she is still asleep. Good girl, Kira!

*Unfortunately, my body is so used to her being up every couple of hours that I didn't get the best sleep (engorgement=ouch), but if she can continue to be a star sleeper my body will adjust. So today, I am thankful for sleep.

*confession: I just back read a few posts and realize I have been thankful for sleep more than once and already told about Kira's night-owl behaviors. Sorry for the repetitiveness. Clearly this is my world right now. :)

Day 17-20

2011-11-20T21:10:00.000-08:00

Day 17: I am thankful to Quinn for keeping himself entertained in his room until after 9am. Kira has been eating every two hours 'round the clock, and then taking some work to get back to sleep. Needless to say, I've been exhausted. Quinn's lazy mornings have been very much appreciated.

Day 18: I am thankful for coffee! I'm embarrassed to let something like coffee make my thankful list this month, but it's true. Coffee has been helping me get through the days lately, and for that I am grateful!

Day 19: I am thankful that today is the first day of nine that Pat gets to be home with us as a family! We hope to spend some time being productive, some time relaxing, and time with our extended family in Walla Walla! Yay for a Thanksgiving break!

Day 20: Today I am thankful for Will. He is a selfless friend to Pat (and our family), a loving uncle figure for Quinn, and is always so patient with my never ending want of photos. This patience carries over to our overtired and hyperactive children as well. Thank you Will, you're the best!

Day 16

2011-11-16T18:23:00.001-08:00

As I sit here by the fire, waiting for Pat to get home so we can enjoy the homemade creamy chicken noodle soup that is waiting for us on the stove, I can't help but be thankful for WARMTH. It is getting so cold around here lately, and there is nothing more comforting than warm soup by a fire on days like today.

Seeing Quinn thoroughly engaged in the Disney classic, Dumbo, and hearing him belly laugh throughout is pretty fantastic, too.

Day 12-15

2011-11-15T16:06:00.000-08:00

I sure have fallen off the wagon. What made me ever think I would blog everyday for a month? It's just not in the cards for me. So, I'll continue my thankfulness challenge but know that the daily updates just aren't happening. :)

Day 12:

I was thankful for cousins. Quinn and Kira have cousins that are close in age to them, and Quinn's closest friends are already his cousins, Chloe and Ruby. He loves those girls so much, he just wants to tickle, hug, and play with them all day (well, a lot of the day. He has his moments, he is two afterall). He will ask for them often (even though they live a state away), and this weekend they came to visit us! I look forward to the family continuing to grow, and am thankful that my kids will be close to their cousins.

Day 13:

Grandparents. I am thankful for my grandparents, and am lucky enough to still have three of my grandparents living. They are some of the sweetest people I know, and I look forward to the times that I get to spend with them. I am also thankful for my kids' grandparents. My parents and Pat's parents love our kids very much and go out of their way to have a relationship with them. It isn't easy either because it means frequent traveling (and Quinn is not always outwardly appreciative of these efforts).

Day 14:

Sleep. Sleep deprivation comes in waves around here and my lack of sleep is definitely catching up with me. I am thankful to Pat for taking over extra Quinn duty to give me an opportunity to catch up on some rest, and I am feeling a bit more refreshed because of it. I guess it's time to start implementing some sleep routine with Kira though, as opposed to just soaking up one-on-one time with her after Quinn goes to bed. I knew that would backfire at some point. :)

Day 15:

Jamie. Jamie is such a great friend to me, and I am so grateful that our friendship has remained strong over the years and has not only survived, but thrived since Pat and I moved to Washington. I look forward to our daily conversations and appreciate her constant openness and honesty. I am also inspired by her wonderful creativity and love that our kids are so close in age. She is and always will be like family to me.

Day 8-11

2011-11-11T16:09:00.000-08:00

It's time to play a little catch-up!

Day 8: Kira's laughter!

On the 8th we were able to capture Kira's little laugh on video, just two days after her first laugh. Video coming soon!

Day 9: PAINT!

Yes, this is kind of silly, but I truly was thankful for paint on the 9th. Pat agreed to my relatively spontaneous desire to add some paint to a few walls downstairs. Special thanks to Jamie for her constant willingness to help with concept and inspiration, too! It's amazing how much cozier a space can feel with a little paint on the walls.

Day 10: My husband.

He's the best, what can I say? But seriously, lately he's put up with my constant desire to work on home improvement projects and he's had a great attitude about it as well.

Day 11: Company.

Pat and I do a lot of traveling to family, and this weekend family is traveling to us! I am so excited to have a houseful of family (and kids), and am grateful to them for making the effort to come up and see us. Thank you!

Day 7 (a day late)

2011-11-08T15:10:00.000-08:00

I skipped yesterday! Whoops!

The reason I missed yesterday was because we were traveling home, and then I had to rush off to choir practice. So, yesterdays "thankful for" goes to the Redmond Chorale. I was asked to accompany this small community choir last year, and it has turned out to be such a wonderful experience for me. I don't get nearly enough practicing in on my own... but, each Monday evening I get away from my family and do something that is just for me (and the choir, I suppose). I love having this small musical commitment in my life.

Todays "thankful for" will come later. I'm still deciding... :)

Day 6

2011-11-06T20:26:00.001-08:00

In honor of Orphan Sunday, today I am thankful for my newest niece, Ruby June. I've only had the opportunity to spend a couple of days with her so far, but I feel like I've known her for her whole life. She has an exuberant personality, is full of energy, and her smile will melt your heart. She's also a genius! I was amazed at the amount of English she had picked up in six short weeks of being exposed to the language. She had just as much English as Quinn (probably more), and she seemed to understand everything. Like I said, genius! Thank you Zach and Emily for bringing her into our lives. We are so in love!

*Also, Kira laughed for the first time today... and I missed it! My mom gets to claim this "first". She was making silly sounds and apparently Kira thought it was pretty hilarious. My parents and Quinn were all with her, but I had stepped out of the room for a bit. :( She laughed a little for me too, (which was one of the sweetest sounds I've ever heard in my life, and yes, it made me cry), but apparently she was laughing quite a bit more when I wasn't around. You can be sure I'll be pulling out every ridiculous sound and face I possibly can until I get this milestone documented on video. We sure do love our precious little Kira Lynae!

Day 5

2011-11-05T22:52:00.000-07:00

Oh man, I don't know if I'm going to be able to keep up with 30 days straight of blogging, even if each entry is short! There is no shortage of things to be thankful for though, and so I will continue to try. I think it's good for me.

I have to start by admitting how my thankfulness yesterday backfired a little. Yes, I am still thankful for Microsoft, thankful that Pat loves his job, and thankful that he is able to provide for our family. But, I totally take back being thankful for the ending of the OYO (one-year-out) sprint. Pat messaged me about 5pm yesterday and told me that he was asked to come in and work all weekend. What?!? He told me the day before that he should be able to come home early, so why in the world was he having to work two extra days? Not just two extra days, but two extra LONG days. I had already been having a challenging day, and this news was the icing on the cake. I tried to be supportive and told him I understood, but inside I was questioning whether or not I'd be able to make it through the weekend all alone with the kids and no help.

In an effort to turn this lemon of a situation into lemonade, I decided to travel home to see my parents and adorable niece (and sister and brother-in-law). I felt as though I were punishing Pat for working hard and being devoted to his work, but he understood that I could really benefit from being surrounded by my family and so he supported my decision to go.

So today I am thankful that we live within driving distance of our families. I am thankful that my children will grow up surrounded by their loving grandparents, aunties, uncles, and cousins, and this is a luxury that I cherish.

*I am also thankful to the compassionate officer who let me off with a warning on my drive today. I think he pitied my traveling alone with two young children. After having a two-hour detour due to leaving my purse at home I was trying to make up for lost time. His compassion couldn't have come at a better time. Thank you friendly officer, I really needed that.

Day 4

2011-11-04T15:24:00.001-07:00

Today I am thankful for Microsoft. For the first time in Pat's career he has a stable, full-time job. Much of his career has been spent working on contract which wasn't terrible, but we never knew where he'd be working year after year. That was beginning to wear on me more than him I think, and I can't express how relieving it is to feel a sense of security with his work (especially since I don't have a job that pays right now). I am also thankful that Pat has a job that he loves. He'd do the work that his does for free, and his coworkers are his friends. It is perfect for him right now and I'm so grateful. And finally perhaps I am most thankful that today marks the last day of their latest "sprint". The game that he is working on is officially 'one-year-out', and that milestone has come with quite a few extra hours. Starting next week we should have Pat home for dinner each evening, and Quinn won't have to go days without seeing his daddy (and mommy won't have to go days without help!). Hallelujah! There is much to be thankful for today!

Day 3

2011-11-03T10:54:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful for time. Time to lay lazily in bed in the morning and cuddle with my babies, tear apart every puzzle in the play room and put them back together again, lay with Kira on my chest and soak up all of her baby goodness. Time to have a dance party in the family room, play tag in the house, and have a ticklefest with my rambunctious son. Time to watch my children learn and grow each day.

Day 2

2011-11-02T17:50:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled to report that Kira greeted me this morning with a gummy grin, and she seems to have recovered from her traumatic vaccination experience yesterday. Quinn and I have recovered as well!

Today I am thankful for my home. It is easy for me to get carried away with all that is left to do to turn this beautiful house into our home, but I am truly grateful each day to be living in this space. I look forward to my children riding bikes down the street and making friends with the neighbor kids, hosting dinner parties and family holidays, and watching my children meet each of their milestones here.

I am also grateful for our generous family who have helped us settle in over the past month. Pat and I haven't done any of this alone, and are so thankful to be surrounded by family who have been willing to generously sacrifice their time, money, and skills to help make this place perfect for us. Thank you!

*This photo was taken towards the end of the construction phase, and seems to be the most recent photo I have of the exterior at this time. I look forward to sharing more pictures in the future. :)

30 Days of Thankfulness

2011-11-01T17:14:00.000-07:00

Day 1:

As we enter into the month of November I want to take pause each day and reflect on something that I am thankful for. Pat and I have been so blessed this year with the birth of our daughter, Kira, the security of a full-time position at Microsoft, and our new home.

Today Kira had her two-month well-child visit and her first batch of vaccinations. Vaccinations are never fun, but she has been more miserable than I have ever seen her. And her misery has been quite hard on Quinn and me as well. Poor Quinn doesn't understand why his sister won't stop crying, and I am heartbroken that I cannot soothe my sweet baby.

Today I am reminded how fortunate we have been to have such an easy-going baby. Two kids have not been easy for me, but they have been much easier than I anticipated. If every day were like today, I'm not sure I could make it.

So, in addition to the big things that I can't help but be thankful for each day, I am most thankful for baby tylenol today. I am optimistic that this will help Kira be more comfortable and that she will be back to her normal self soon.

What are you thankful for?

Kira's First Month

2011-09-11T10:15:00.001-07:00

Our sweet Kira turned one month old this past week. Time is such a mind-boggling concept for me with a baby. I can't believe that Kira has been out of the womb for an entire month already, but at the same time, I already forget what life was like without her. Quinn seems to have forgotten as well.

This month has had a few challenges, but for the most part it's been amazing and I am so grateful for the plethora of help that we received for the first couple of weeks. So, thank you family!!

My parents stayed with us for Kira's first week of life. They cooked, cleaned, took Quinn on a few special day trips, and loved on Kira. Kira was a dream baby. She rarely cried, and when she did her cry sounded more like a whimper. She was easily consolable with a diaper change or milk, and this was such a relief for me because Quinn was requiring some extra love and care during this time. Pat went back to work when Kira was only three days old, and I'm not sure he would have been able to handle that if Kira wasn't such an easy baby. I was able to take over most of the night-time duties whereas with Quinn, we definitely treated it as a two-man job.

As my parents left after the first week, Grandma Cathy arrived. She spoiled us with a different baked good each day, prepared the meals, cleaned, and was around for what turned out to be our most difficult week thus far. Without her, I don't know how I would have made it through. I'm struggling with how much detail to go into, seeing as how this post is supposed to be all about Kira. But, my objective is memory preservation and so I'm going to digress a bit.

Things started getting difficult in the Gillette household on Monday, eight days after Kira was born. It all started when I left Quinn unsupervised for a couple of minutes to use the restroom (Grandma was downstairs with Kira at the time), and Quinn got into Grandma Cathy's medications. When I realized I immediately showed Cathy the damage and asked if she knew what was missing. There were three pills missing, and I immediately got on the phone to seek advice about what needed to be done. I waited on hold to speak to a consulting nurse for what felt like an unreasonable amount of time, and so I decided to just call poison control. The first two pills that were missing weren't a problem, but after running some calculations with the dosage and Quinn's weight, it was determined that the missing blood pressure pill, if ingested, would be quite dangerous. I was so scared and was beating myself up for leaving him unattended. The worst scenarios were running through my mind, but I tried to stay focused and productive. I was told to get Quinn to the nearest ER immediately, and that is what I did. I had been having an overproduction of milk supply and so I was needing to pump to provide myself relief. What a blessing that ended up being. I had plenty of pumped milk on hand and was able to leave Kira with Cathy at home. I knew that I needed to focus all of my attention and energy on Quinn. When I got in the car I called the consulting nurse again, but this time got through quickly because I used the emergency shortcut. The nurse was trying to console me as best as she could, but her words weren't very comforting. She said that ideally they would want me to take Quinn to the children's hospital, but that it was too far (an extra ten minutes) and I needed to get somewhere immediately. Quinn fell asleep as soon as we got into the car, and she was asking me to see if I could wake him to determine whether or not he was responsive. I was yelling Quinn's name, hitting his legs, and doing everything I could (while talking illegally on the phone and driving a stick shift) to get him to wake up. Nothing. He was out. I called Pat and told him that I needed him to meet me at the hospital because I felt myself falling apart and I knew that I couldn't handle this alone. I remember speeding on the freeway and deciding that if I were to get pulled over I wouldn't stop. I would just let the officer follow me all the way to the hospital. Luckily, I didn't get pulled over. As soon as we arrived I parked illegally in front of the urgent care (ER) and rushed Quinn inside. When I got him out of the car he woke up and was responsive and so this helped me calm down a little. Pat arrived to the hospital as soon as I did and so after he legally parked his car he ran up from the garage and moved mine to a legal space as well. Quinn was checked in right away and his vitals showed no abnormal blood pressure. Thank you, Lord. At this point they basically knew that Quinn hadn't ingested the medication, but they needed to monitor Quinn for six hours to be sure. That had been the scariest hour of my life, but as soon as we confirmed that the medication hadn't been ingested I decided to just take advantage of this one-on-one time with Quinn. I had been so preoccupied with Kira for the past week that I felt Quinn had been neglected (by me). We spent our entire afternoon at the hospital and everything was perfectly fine. I decided to treat the experience as a perfect reminder that Quinn cannot be left unattended and rather than beating myself up over the mistake I decided to just be grateful that everything was okay.

Tuesday was a new day and we wanted to make it a great day. I was feeling great physically, and so Cathy and I decided to take the kids to the park and meet Pat for a picnic lunch. Quinn enjoyed playing on the playground and I enjoyed the fresh air. I had spent the majority of the previous week inside, and so the fresh air was just what I needed. After our picnic lunch in the park, I took Quinn and Cathy home so I could take Kira to her doctor's appointment. She had surpassed her birth weight and was perfectly healthy, with the exception of her thrush. Thrush?? I had never heard of it before, but apparently it is an oral yeast infection that is fairly common in babies. She was prescribed a medication that we needed to give her every 4 hours after feedings. What a pain. In addition to her well-child visit she also had to have her heal pricked again for blood work. Kira wasn't much of a crier, and so when she screamed as the nurse squeezed her heal to get blood out, I knew she was really hurting. Sadly, Kira's blood clotted too quickly and so he had to prick her other heal and torture her more; I was devastated. I hated hearing my baby cry. We survived the visit, picked up her prescription, and headed home for a few uneventful hours.

As if we hadn't been through enough in the past two days, I came down with the worst sickness I have ever experienced that night. I got mastitis with Quinn and was feeling similar symptoms, with a terrible flu or food poisoning on top of it. I will spare you the details here, but I was up all night extremely sick and engorged. I was too weak to even pump and so Pat had to help with that. Again, thank goodness I had milk on hand because I was too weak and sick to nurse as well. I basically lived in the bathroom for 36 hours. Pat took the following day off to help nurse me back to health, and when I wasn't sick in the bathroom I was on the phone with consulting nurses and lactation consultants. We're pretty sure I had food poisoning paired with early mastitis. After an incredibly miserable 36 hours, I slowly started to feel better. It was a good week before I felt like myself again, though. It was rough.

I am pleased to report that the rest of our week was spent away from doctors and hospitals. Auntie Mariah came up Thursday to spend a long weekend with us and take Cathy back home. Quinn was excited to spend time with his auntie, and Pat and I even got to go out on a date one evening. We figured it had been three months since we had enjoyed a meal just the two of us. I doubt if there are too many couples who leave their not even two week old to go on a date, but when you never get the chance you jump at the opportunity!

On Sunday, Cathy and Mariah headed back home, and Pat and I were left to figure out this parenting thing on our own. After the previous week that we had, I felt like I could handle anything! Kira lost her umbilical cord that day and so we were finally able to give her a real bath. She loved it! She's had a bath nearly every day since and has never cried. Perhaps she'll be a water baby! I hope so.

I managed to make it through my first week alone during the days parenting two. We even made it out of the house a few times (although, this is something that I hope to get better at). It's certainly easier for me to spend the majority of our days inside, but I feel so much better when I get something accomplished and when we all get some fresh air. Most importantly, we avoided all medical personnel this week. Hooray!

My best bonding time with Kira takes place when Quinn is sleeping. When he takes his afternoon nap and goes to bed at night I try and take advantage of the opportunity to just cuddle with her. We are moving in a few short weeks though, and so I have to try and force myself to be productive and get packing accomplished as well. Through our purging/packing/cleaning process we've learned that Kira is comforted by white noise. The louder the better, seemingly. She falls asleep to the sound of our vacuum cleaner and steam cleaner. There have been times when she's a little fussy and I can't easily calm her and so I just get out the vacuum and it seems to do the trick! Vacuuming happens to be one of my favorite chores and so this was a convenient discovery.

Kira got to embark on her first road trip during her third week of life. Our good childhood friend, Shane, was having an American celebration of his Korean wedding and we knew that we didn't want to miss it. The kids did great in the car, and we only had to stop once on our five hour drive. We met my parents and Cathy at the wedding, and from what I hear, it was beautiful! Pat and I made it to the general vicinity, but as soon as the wedding started Kira decided to not-so-discreetly fill her diaper, which required and immediate change. When Pat took her out Quinn was very upset and so I had to rush him out of the ceremony as well so we wouldn't be any more disruptive. We spent the rest of the time chasing Quinn around outside the church and taking turns sneaking in bits and pieces of the ceremony. We tried!

Conveniently, the wedding was only 40 minutes from Grandma Cathy's house and so we were able to take full advantage of our weekend by spending the rest of our time with extended family. We were able to introduce Kira to more of the family and Quinn was reunited with cousin Chloe. They had a great time together. It is so fun having cousins so close in age. They played a lot of "Ring Around the Rosie", and when they "all fall down" it turns into a full on tackle. They also got to freely roam the freshly harvested fields on Grandma Cathy's property, and we all took a walk down to the pond and went blackberry picking. There is nothing better than summer nights on the farm. On Sunday after church we got to take Quinn to other families house and see their brand new puppy litter. Between the puppies, Chloe, and the trampoline, Quinn was in heaven and Kira got good cuddle time in with more family. It was a wonderful weekend.

The following weekend Auntie Lolo and Uncle Matt brought baby Delaney to come and meet Kira. Baby Delaney is getting so big, and reminds me to really cherish every moment of infant hood. We went to a little farm/amusement park in the area and Quinn rode the rides like a pro. My dad had taken him there during Kira's first week of life, and it was obvious that Quinn knew just what to do. I was feeling a little disappointed that I hadn't experienced Quinn's "first" ride and so I took him on the little roller coaster so I could claim that "first". He loved it and Kira just slept like a perfect little angel our entire time there.

The rest of our month has been filled with fairly normal baby stuff. Quinn is adjusting well and loves his sister. He is taking some initiative on his own to "help her" when she's upset by giving her a binkie or rushing a bottle to her if one happens to be lying around. It's very sweet, but we have to keep our eyes on him! She is still fairly calm and content the majority of the time, but in the evenings she has been getting a little needier and likes to be held and gently shaken. In fact, we dropped her swaddle very early on (after a little over a week). Pat was taking a turn trying to get her to sleep and found that it was easier to do so when she was unswaddled. There are very few babies who don't love a swaddle, and I assume that we just don't swaddle tight enough and that's why we were unsuccessful with this trick. But, it doesn't seem to be something that she needs and so we just let it go. Sadly, we are still battling her thrush. It seemed to have gone away for a bit, but it came back. I can't help but wonder if this is contributing to her moments of fussiness.

To top off her first month, on Kira's one month birthday when Daddy got home from work and went to hold her, she looked back at him and gave what felt like her first genuine smile. It seems a little early still, but it is plausible and so we're going with it. I've seen a few smiles since then, but haven't been able to capture one on film yet. Hopefully we'll have a photo soon to share.

*The monthly age sticker turned out to be a massive fail. I carefully laid out her outfit for the day on the bed and within seconds Quinn began jumping, and therefore, demolished the sticker. My stubborn self had to get a picture anyway. Better luck next month!

Kira is an absolute sweetheart and we are all so in love with her. Happy one month birthday, little girl! We love you!

*The beautiful newborn pictures are courtesy of our good friend, Will Christiansen. Thanks again, Will!

Bringing Home Baby

2011-09-04T20:54:00.001-07:00

During my last weeks of pregnancy I had quite a bit of anxiety about whether or not we should introduce Quinn to his baby sister at the hospital, or just wait until we got home. Selfishly, I wanted Quinn at the hospital right away because I couldn't fathom that much time away from him. However, I was concerned that it would be difficult for Quinn to get to come and see Pat and me at the hospital and then be taken away. I had a series of emotional conversations with friends, family, and even my midwife about how I'd been feeling, and the common consensus was that it would probably be easier on Quinn for us to wait until we got home. I had several weeks to come to terms with this, but was never able to commit to when we'd introduce the siblings. Instead, we decided to simply play it by ear and see how we felt while at the hospital. Due to my relatively easy labor, I only had to spend one day in the hospital and Quinn was having a great time at home with my brother, Megan, and my parents. This made it easy for me to enjoy my one-on-one time with Kira and Pat on her birth day. However, by the next day I was eager to get home and introduce Quinn to his new baby sister!

Pat and I got ourselves checked out of the hospital around noon and headed home (after a quick stop at the pharmacy). Due to my concern for how Quinn would adapt, I asked my mom to hold Kira when we got home so Pat and I could walk with Quinn together to introduce him to his sister. I was so concerned that he would feel as though he was being replaced. As soon as we walked in the door Quinn greeted us excitedly, gave us big hugs, and treated us as if we'd only been gone a few hours. My mom got Kira out of her car seat, and we introduced Quinn to his new sister together as planned. He knew exactly who she was, saying "Kira!", and he immediately put his hands out and requested to "hold her". Before he had a chance to hold her, Pat presented him with his special gift from Kira, Bullseye, the horse from the Toy Story movies. He loves "horsies" and so he was excited about this new toy (for about 20 seconds). Then, he ran back to Kira and gave her the toy, saying "Here you go". All of my stresses and anxieties seemed to be unnecessary, and I couldn't have been more grateful for this. He held her for quite a while and carefully examined her every detail. He admired her fingers and toes, her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, and I remember specifically thinking at the time that he was probably examining her more carefully than I did when holding her for the first time. It was a sweeter introduction than I could have ever hoped for.

Meeting Kira

She kept spitting out her binkie, but he was insistent that she needed it.

"Hold her!"

Quick Bullseye distraction/play break.

Getting to hold her for the first time.

Carefully checking her out.

I have to keep it real, though. I'd be lying if I said that it's been this smooth the whole time. Naturally, Quinn struggled with jealousy in the beginning and didn't understand why I could hold Kira and not him. He was jealous of the time that I spent nursing her and would tell me "No milk, Kira no milk!" He hated to hear her cry and would instruct me to "fix it", and as long as fixing it didn't involve having to nurse, he was okay. In fact, he was intrigued by her diaper changes, particularly when they involved poop. Silly boy. He acted out in ways that we had never seen from him before. He showed signs of anger and frustration through yelling and hitting, but thankfully was never aggressive towards Kira. Pat and I have had to carefully determine what our boundaries are with Quinn and are working towards making these boundaries clear and consistent. Moments of love have continued to be present as well. For example, sometimes when Kira would cry he'd rush to her, pat her on the tummy and say, "You're okay, you're okay". He is learning and adapting, and he really does love his sister.

He loves to hold her hand.

Sweet Kira

Holding hands with Mommy and Kira (while watching a cartoon).

As I sit here reflecting on those first couple of weeks I am reminded just how far he's come. One of the things that Quinn does is list off the names of people and things that are important to him. He'll say "Mommy, Daddy, Woody, Buh (Buzz), Papa, Ma..." (and depending on the day he might ramble off an excessively large list of toys "saur, doggie, alien, horsie, etc...). This past week Kira was one of the first words he mentioned, even before Mommy or Daddy. This meant the world to me. There was also a time last week when I was nursing Kira (the time when he wanted nothing to do with her a couple of weeks ago), and he walked up to her, kissed her on the forehead and said, "Yuv you, Kira". Again, I melted. I am so proud of the progress that he's made this past month in accepting his new role as big brother. I look forward to the relationship that will develop between Quinn and Kira as brother and sister and pray that they will become great friends and playmates in the upcoming years.

Kira's Birth Story

2011-08-29T09:35:00.000-07:00

She's here! In fact, she's been here for three weeks now. I have found myself staring at the computer screen time and time again, searching for the perfect words to capture Kira’s birth story. With each passing day the experience becomes dreamier, and I find myself mentally sugar-coating the knitty-gritty, painful laboring moments. So, I am going to force myself to just write what I remember. Perhaps the perfect words will come someday, but for now these words will have to do.

Kira Lynae

8-7-2011

8 pounds 7 ounces

20 inches long

Mommy's Account:

When I reflect on Kira’s birth, I feel the need to back up quite a few days. It’s hard to really know where to start, because I felt as if she would come “any day” for weeks, literally. Perhaps it was even a month. I’ve got my optimistic moments, what can I say?

So, I’ll begin her story on August 4, when I was one day overdue. My midwife was on vacation and so my appointment that week was with the on-call midwife. The midwife that I had been seeing for all of my prenatal care was kind, gentle, encouraging, and positive. I absolutely loved her. However, I knew that she was going to be on vacation the week I was due and so I knew that there was a possibility she wouldn’t be around for the delivery of our baby. Perhaps the hope of her being there for Kira’s delivery helped get me through each overdue day.

My appointment was actually supposed to be on my due date, but had been postponed due to a laboring mom. I was so jealous of that stranger! The reason I mention my appointment bump was because I had daycare arranged for my original appointment time. So, when I actually got to go in I had to bring Quinn with me. He had been to an appointment before and did great, and so I didn’t think much of this. However, due to all of the previous days cancellations, they were running an hour behind. This hour wait was torture for Quinn, and by the time we actually got into the appointment he was wailing. I could barely hear anything the midwife had to say, and all I could think about was just making sure the baby was okay and getting out of there. So during my cervical check when she asked me if I wanted my membranes stripped I hardly had time to make a rational decision. I simply asked her if that was what she recommended, and when she said yes, I said “sure”. I had been reluctant up to that point to have any sort of intervention, but in this moment, with Quinn screaming in the background, all I cared about was getting through the appointment and getting my tired boy home. She told me that in theory, the membrane stripping should put me in labor within 72 hours. However, just in case they scheduled an ultrasound to check my fluid levels and a non-stress-test for the baby for the following week and told me that if everything continued to look healthy that they would let me go two more weeks without any medical intervention.

I wasn’t even out of the waiting room before I felt severe cramping (which I knew was a side-effect of the membrane stripping) and by the time I got to the car I was in tears from the pain (my hormones at this point in the pregnancy probably contributed to the tears as well). I couldn’t fathom parenting Quinn alone in that state, and any time that Pat took off from work was unpaid and so I really didn’t want to have to rely on him yet. Luckily Quinn was exhausted and we literally napped in bed for the rest of the afternoon. The cramping didn’t really subside until much later that evening, but by the next day I felt like a million bucks.

In fact, I woke up feeling better than I’d felt in weeks and I remember telling myself to just try and enjoy the reprieve. Heather happened to be in town for a few hours that morning, but we hadn’t made any specific plans because I was SURE I’d have Kira by then and would therefore be unavailable. HA! So, I set my stubbornness aside and gave her a call and we met up for some window-shopping and coffee. It was great to catch up with her a little and it took my mind off of wishing that my body would go into labor. That afternoon Quinn and I napped together (this had become a daily routine my last month of pregnancy), and that evening Ryan flew into town for a friend’s bachelor party. This was another perfect distraction. He and Megan stopped by that evening to say hello. At some point Ryan decided that he was going to forego the bachelor party, and he and Megan made it their mission to ensure that Kira would be born that weekend. Megan is a nurse and was consulting with her labor and delivery nursing friends. They were recommending a plethora of “natural” induction methods, from exercises to drinking herbal teas and castor oil, and many more that I didn’t even pay attention to. I was willing to try the exercises and drink some teas, but castor oil was not going to happen! The last thing that I wanted was to put myself in labor due to being sick from castor oil. Anyway, they left Friday evening and planned to return on Saturday with tea in hand and to hang out and enjoy some quality time with Quinn.

Saturday I woke up feeling great again, and Pat and I had a perfect day with Quinn, not knowing that this would be our last day as a family of three. We spent relaxing family time together playing in the morning, took a family nap together in the afternoon, and then headed to a Mexican fiesta at one of Pat’s coworker’s houses that evening. The food was delicious, the company was refreshing, and Quinn was in heaven playing in a fenced backyard with the kindest Husky I’ve ever met, (perhaps the only Husky, but this dog was awesome). One of Megan’s labor inducing schemes involved spicy food and so I ate up completely guilt free at this fiesta! I enjoyed the spicy homemade guacamole and salsas, hoping that the delicious food might just do the trick! If not, it was still delicious. We left the party early so we could spend time with Ryan and Megan. Unfortunately, we didn’t leave early enough for them to get to spend time with Quinn. They’d just have to come back Sunday for that. As soon as we got home we put Quinn to bed and then Ryan and Megan arrived shortly after. I quickly got a pot of water boiling and alternated between two different teas that they had brought over. I probably had about five cups over the course of the evening. We spent the evening playing cards and eating a variety of indulgent desserts that they had spoiled us with. I am trying to remember if I felt any pain during cards, and I really don’t think so. Card games are very distracting for me, though, so it’s hard to be sure. I think that I may have had some cramping off and on, but nothing noteworthy.

My midwives had told me time and time again to try and not even pay attention to contractions until I had to breathe through them. Like most women, I had been having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions and so this was their way of encouraging me to simply ignore those. I don’t even recall having Braxton Hicks contractions that evening, though. Around 11:00 I remember thinking that I should probably try and get some sleep because I knew that I’d need to be up with Quinn early the next morning. So, Ryan and Megan left around 11:15, and I clearly remember feeling a contraction as I hugged my brother goodbye. I didn’t say anything though; because it was something I had been accustomed to feeling for months. I got ready for bed and tried to get some sleep, but the contractions kept coming. Nothing hurt though. I remember lying in bed and noticing that the contractions weren’t going away, but they still didn’t really hurt and I definitely didn’t have to breathe through any pain. At 12:30, a little more than an hour after I felt my first contraction, curiosity got the best of me and I told Pat that I wanted to time them, just for fun. He discouraged me from timing the contractions and urged me to just try and get some sleep, but I was insistent. I had certainly never noticed my contractions lasting for more than an hour before, and they seemed to be getting a little longer and closer together. At this point I sent my brother a text message and told him that I had been feeling contractions (even though they weren’t painful) for about an hour. As Pat and I timed the contractions we realized that they were about three minutes apart and lasting anywhere from 40 seconds to a little over a minute. Within 15 minutes of timing, the contractions became painful and I was starting to gently breathe through them. I got out of bed to see if I could walk through the contractions, and quickly realized that I couldn’t walk or talk through the contractions any longer. This was no more than thirty minutes after wanting to simply time the contractions “for fun”.

Pat consulted our labor paperwork and decided that he should call the hospital directly at this point. The nurses asked if we wanted to come right in or if we wanted to have our midwife call us first. I wanted to try and labor at home as much as possible and so talking to the midwife seemed like the best option. Within five minutes the on-call midwife that I had seen earlier that week called and I had several contractions during our short conversation. I had only been breathing through contractions for about thirty minutes at this point though, and so we both assumed I had a ways to go. She directed me to get in the tub and drink plenty of water and see if that caused the contractions to slow down and the pain to subside. I followed her instructions and found absolutely no relief in the water! Most women love it; I am not one of those women, though. I was in pain, and told Pat that I had never experienced that much pain while laboring with Quinn. I had already requested an epidural by that point and I was ready to get to the hospital and get an epidural this time around too. So, Pat called Ryan and Megan, and they turned around and came back to stay at our place with Quinn. My pain escalated so quickly at that point, I remember trying to put myself in a variety of positions to figure out how I could make myself feel more comfortable. I leaned on Pat, I got on all fours, I moaned, I got on my side; nothing made me feel better. I had to just focus on getting through one contraction at a time. It hurt! While all of this was happening, Pat was alternating between running around the house to make sure that we had everything set for our guests and hospital stay (changing sheets that I had pre-washed, getting the car loaded, packing my toiletries for the hospital, calling my family, cleaning the kitchen, and who knows what else) and supporting me through my frequent and painful contractions. He was a rock star and even though he was frantically running around, I remember him being there for me during most of my contractions. I’m not sure how he managed that, but he did.

Ryan and Megan arrived within thirty minutes of us calling them, and this is where the story gets a little blurry for me. I had my eyes closed most of the time, trying to just focus on getting through the pain. Somehow Pat managed to get me to the car over the course of a few contractions. I remember driving through the parking lot of our apartment complex and every speed bump was torture. I begged Pat to drive slowly, and all he wanted to do was get me to the hospital. I squeezed his hand and screamed through every contraction in the car. It was like a scene from a movie. I was ridiculously dramatic and Pat was just focused on getting me to the hospital as quickly as humanly possible. At one point I even recall him saying, “Just don’t push!” When we got on the freeway it was 2am and I had only been in painful labor for about an hour at this point. It makes me feel like a wimp when I put the story in words, but like I said, it hurt!

We arrived to the hospital at about 2:15am, and I urged Pat to just park near the ER and let them wheel me to labor and delivery. So that is what he did. Unfortunately, this being our second baby and everything, we didn’t do things as thoroughly as we had with Quinn. We hadn’t had a hospital tour, and if we had, we would have learned that the ER is on the complete opposite side of the hospital. If we could do it again I wouldn't do it any differently though. I knew that I just needed to get inside and let the medical personnel take care of me. Them racing me through the hidden corridors of the hospital didn’t affect me much. My eyes were still closed, after all.

We arrived to labor and delivery around 2:25am, and they took me straight to triage. I remember begging at this point that they just get me somewhere so an epidural could be administered. I figured I had hours left of labor and I knew I didn’t want to go through any more of it in the amount of pain that I had been experiencing. They ignored my urgent request and told me that they needed to check and see what was going on. As the triage nurse checked my cervix, apparently she just shook her head. Pat assumed that it meant I had a long ways to go, and that I was overly dramatic or something. ☺ But, apparently the head shaking meant “we need to get this girl to a delivery room stat because she is crowning”. They told me that I was “complete, but in tact”. I couldn’t believe my ears so I kept urging them to tell me exactly what that meant. They just repeated the words, “complete, but in tact”. This meant that my cervix was fully dilated but my water hadn’t broken yet. I asked if they could just get me an epidural first, and I clearly remember my nurse never telling me “no”. She just said, “You’re going to have a baby! You’re going to have a baby!”

As soon as I hit the delivery room, the urge to push hit me. A storm of nurses rushed in, and the midwife made it as well (she was already in the hospital). It’s true that pushing helps take your mind off of the pain. It still hurt, but at least I knew that my prize was around the corner (I was hoping it would be less than an hour since that had been my experience with Quinn). With one of my first pushes I pushed my water right out. I do not envy the messes that those nurses have to deal with. Yuck!

I vividly remember getting three good pushes with each contraction, and three contractions later my beautiful baby girl was in my arms. That’s about 9 pushes total. Not too bad. In fact, we were later told that Kira was born 14 minutes after I first entered the labor and delivery floor. Everything went so quickly; I’m still in shock thinking about it. I also learned that they had another woman deliver 17 minutes (or something like that) after entering labor and delivery that evening, and five births that night were all medication free. I don’t get a lot of credit for my medication-free birth since I spent a good portion of my laboring time begging for medication, but I did it and I’m so proud now!

The rush of emotion that I experienced when they put Kira on my chest is a blur. I remember being in a state of utter happiness, crying, “Is it really a girl?” and they told me that they hadn’t even checked yet. At that point they checked, and then I knew I could speak to her by name. I just cried and laughed and felt the purest joy that I have ever experienced in my life, but at the same time I still felt immense pain. I hugged and kissed my daughter, and simply marveled at how my capacity to love immediately expanded. I was now a mother of two. Life was perfect.

The worst of labor was over, but it wasn’t over yet. I still had to deliver the placenta, which required some pushing, and I was exhausted. When we look back at pictures we realize that Kira was completely blue at this time, but I didn’t notice this at all. All I saw was perfection. However, the natural mothering instinct of putting baby on chest, skin-to-skin, and nursing did not hit me. I remember a nurse asking if I wanted to put baby skin-to-skin, and I appreciated her reminding me because that was exactly what I would want to do. I was numb from excitement and exhaustion.

Kira did not latch on immediately, and so I just held her as my midwife stitched me up and as nurses massaged my uterus. I remember just wanting to be left alone to love my brand new baby, but I knew that they were doing what needed to be done. However, I do remember asking if they could just wait. Pat tells me that I acted like a child, telling the nurses “You are hurting me” and “I don’t like this”. It was the middle of the night and I was exhausted. With Quinn I felt some pain during pushing, but the epidural was enough that I didn’t notice any after delivery pain. The uterine massages didn’t bother me, and I barely noticed delivering the placenta. With Kira, this was almost the most unbearable part because I already had my prize and so there was no more reward for the pain.

As I reflect on Kira’s birth I feel indescribable gratitude. I wouldn’t change a thing about her birth. Playing cards with some of my favorite people before she arrived, going into spontaneous labor at home, progressing quickly, rushing to the hospital, parking in the worst possible location, racing through the hospital corridors in a wheel chair, begging for an epidural and being (silently) denied, and most importantly, delivering a beautiful and healthy baby girl. Who knows what caused me to go into labor. Was it was the membrane stripping, the spicy food, herbal teas, a combination of everything, or just pure coincidence? And, who cares! It was an exhilarating and unforgettable experience.

Just born. Yes, the photo is blurry but it shows her bluish head a bit (Pat says the blur is perfect representation to how it felt at the time).

I barely slept at the hospital because all I wanted to do was stare at our newest creation.

You can see the hair on the back of her head a little here. I also love how Will was able to capture the pure joy and contentment that I felt during this time.

Pride and happiness

We love you Kira Lynae and thank God for bringing you into our lives. I look forward to what the future holds for our family with you in it and watching your life unfold!

Stay tuned for Daddy's account. When we tell her story we realize our perspectives are a bit different and would like to capture our individual memories to share with Kira one day.

Dancing to Uncle Rich's Music!

2011-07-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

Now that we live within driving distance of our families, Pat has been able to participate in more and more golf tournaments. One of our favorite tournaments is George's Invitational because Uncle Rich's band performs live music during dinner the night before the tournament. Quinn loved the music, too!

Quinn's Second Birthday Party!

2011-07-24T06:33:00.000-07:00

Things got extremely busy right around Quinn's birthday this year. His actual birthday, the 22nd, was my last day of school. Since I will not be returning to teaching next year, not only was I responsible for all of the last days of school activities with kids, but I was also responsible for packing up my classroom and making room for next year's class. In addition, my southern family was having a large reunion in Oregon for the first time since I was a baby for the entire week. We had to miss all but one day due to the snow days that extended our school year. I hadn't really planned on doing much of a party for Quinn with all of these other things going on, but not doing anything just didn't sit right with me. So on Thursday, around 9pm, (the day after his birthday, after the southern family had to head home), we officially decided to throw a small party for Quinn on Saturday at my parent's house . Ryan was in town for the reunion, and Grandma Cathy just happened to be visiting Delaney that weekend and so it worked out perfectly. I was so glad that we did something, and grateful for family to celebrate with.

In the back of my mind I knew that I wanted to do something, and so I had purchased a cheap printable "transportation" party kit from Etsy. It made everything so easy, and I love the opportunity to decorate a little!

The real highlight in terms of decor was Pat's train cake! It was a nice hot summery day, so as soon as we put it out on the table it started to melt, but you can get the basic idea from these photos. I loved it and look forward to what Pat will create next year! After all, he's decorated Quinn's cake the past two years, I think it has officially become tradition!

The party!

Quinn loves cake, even though this isn't obvious by his expression here. I actually think that he was more interested in play at the beginning of his party. So, he got to unwrap his gifts and do just that, play!

Quinn got spoiled by all. He's still figuring out the present thing, though. After he opens a gift, he is excited about it and wants to play immediately. I enjoy his enthusiasm, but realize that people probably don't want to sit all day and wait for Quinn to get through his gifts. So, we encouraged him to plow through the unwrapping and play later!

Auntie Lolo and Uncle Matt bought Quinn a Toy Story tent. Toy Story is about Quinn's favorite thing ever at two, and so this was the perfect gift. Thank you!

Thanks for the bubble lawn mower and blocks, Uncle Ryan! Quinn loves them both, and mows our carpet frequently!

This is an incredibly fun jump toy that is nearly fully contained! It is perfection! I look forward to being able to set it up in our own yard on nice days, but for now Grandma and Grandpa are storing it for us. Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa for such a fun toy!

Grandma Cathy bought Quinn this adorable first scooter and helmet. Here Quinn is trying to figure it out. It seems to be a fairly intuitive toy, although at this point Quinn prefers to keep both feet up and let us push him around! He's such a busy kid most of the time, I was surprised to see him a little lazy with this awesome toy! Thank you, Grandma Cathy!

Pat and I bought Quinn his first car for his second birthday. We figure now that we've got that out of the way, there will be no expectations once he's a teenager, right?? He seems to love it, but like the scooter, his preference is to be pushed around rather than drive around himself. We're hoping that once he has a little driveway to practice on, he'll get the hang of it and enjoy the ability to move without any help at all!

Thank you to all who helped us celebrate Quinn's birthday, in person or in spirit!

I have to include this photo of Quinn helping Grandpa (or "Papa" as Quinn has named him for now at least) mow the lawn (in his jammies with doggy's help). This was certainly a highlight of Quinn's day, and I'm sure he would have loved to help with the whole lawn. Grandpa didn't go quite as fast with Quinn riding along, though, and so I'm not sure there would have been enough time for Quinn to help much more. :) Thanks for the fun ride, Papa!

Happy 2nd birthday, Quinn Zachary! We love you!!!

Pregnancy, the Second Time Around

2011-07-23T14:14:00.001-07:00

Precious babe at 20 weeks

Well, it's hard to believe that I am coming to the end of my second pregnancy. I was officially "full-term" last Wednesday, and am in my 38th week of pregnancy now. It seems like just yesterday we decided to expand our family and cheered with excitement when we saw our first positive pregnancy test. Quinn had no idea what was going on, but he cheered right along with us. This was back in November. My, time has sure flown.

35 weeks

This pregnancy has been much different for a variety of reasons, but mainly because I've had a toddler (in addition to work and basic home responsibilities) to keep me busy and sidetracked. Another major difference though has been choosing to have a midwife this time around. Our current health insurance is with Group Health, who has a preventative medical philosophy. They say that about 80% of their patients choose to use midwifes as long as their pregnancies are healthy. I had a fairly easy pregnancy with Quinn, and hoped for the same the second time around. However, if anything were to go wrong at any point, there would always be OB's around, which gave Pat and me comfort. It felt like the best of both worlds. So far, I have loved my experience with a midwife. However, this has meant that I don't have ultrasounds as frequently as I did with Quinn. I can't even remember how many ultrasounds we had with Quinn because there were so many. This time there have only been two. One in the very beginning to determine a gestational age, and an anatomy ultrasound around 20 weeks where we learned (eventually) that we were being blessed with a daughter this time around. With Quinn I knew exactly how many weeks and days pregnant I was at all times. This time, I have to stop and really think about it. When I sit and reflect on how carefree I have been this pregnancy, I find myself feeling guilty. I want to cherish my children equally, and do not feel that I have done so thus far. However, I trust that once our daughter is born we will soon forget what life was ever like without her, as we did with Quinn.

Since I am technically "full-term" now, I have been visiting my midwife weekly. Last week, when I requested a cervical check, she told me that I was one centimeter dilated, 50% effaced, and at a -2 station (meaning baby has dropped, barely). With Quinn I was dilated three centimeters, equally effaced, and hadn't dropped at all. I stayed that way for a month, and still ultimately had to be induced. So, I realize that none of this information really means much. It just all contributes to the birth story for me, and so I like to know. When she checked me this past week I was two centimeters dilated, still 50% effaced, and at a -1 station (meaning she had dropped a bit more). I can definitely tell a difference in how I feel as she drops. It affects my ease of mobility, and I understand why pregnant women waddle when they walk! I am more uncomfortable at this point in my pregnancy than I ever was with Quinn, but I pray that this means that my body will go into labor naturally. At this point, we just have to wait and see!

I haven't been as excited about my growing body this time around, and so the number of pregnancy pictures that we have are limited. Our friend Will did snap a few of my 35 week belly when he took pictures of Quinn for his two year birthday. We don't have any of Pat and me together this time around, but something is better than nothing, right?

Pat also snapped a few of me at 38 weeks so we could compare this belly with the maternity photos of Quinn (at 38 weeks). We had to try and get brother in there too. He was in a very sweet mood, as you can see.

We should have a baby within the next couple weeks, so stay tuned!

A Typical Evening

2011-07-22T22:48:00.000-07:00

This shows a typical evening in the Gillette household, injuries and all. The highlight of Quinn's day is usually after Daddy gets home from work, as is evidenced here.

All Padded Up

2011-07-22T22:39:00.000-07:00

And ready for football! Silly boy (and Papa).

Woohoo!

2011-07-22T22:20:00.000-07:00

This demonstrates Quinn's excitement about beginning his bedtime routine. He's off to take a bath... I just enjoy hearing him "woohoo!"

Quinn Saying "Quinn" (Ken)

2011-07-22T22:06:00.000-07:00

So, I just figured out an incredibly easy way to upload videos to our blog, so this may get ridiculous. It's all for you, Grandma Cathy! Unfortunately, at this time I'm not sure how to adjust the size so please forgive the terrible formatting.

Quinn Turned TWO!

2011-07-22T06:59:00.001-07:00

...A month ago, today.

At Quinn's 2-year check-up his stats were as follows:

Height: 35.5 inches (78th percentile)

Weight: 29 pounds (72nd percentile)

Head Circumference: 50.1 centimeters (59th percentile)

He's a growing healthy boy, and we couldn't be more grateful for that!

When I think about Quinn's personality at two, two words come to mind. Independent and gregarious (most of the time, at least).

Quinn likes to figure out how to do things all by himself. Being dependent on others to assist him in meeting his needs is not something that he is interested in, whenever possible. For example, right around Quinn's second birthday (within a day or two) he figured out how to unlock the front door at Grandma and Grandpa's house, thus enabling him to be able to get outside whenever he pleased. This did not please me, naturally, because my child has no sense of fear or natural consequence (i.e. cars). This skill quickly translated to home, where he learned to successfully lock or unlock any of our doors. I had a few sleepless nights, fearing that Quinn would make his way outside while Pat and I slept. You might be wondering why we didn't just put a safety lock on the door at this point? Well, we have latch handles, and safety locks aren't easily available for this kind of door handle, at least not anywhere that I shop. Thankfully, I learned that they do exist (thanks Jamie) and purchased one immediately online. Sleep improved dramatically after the installation, and I don't have to spend rainy days constantly trying to persuade Quinn that playing inside can be fun, too. He is also well versed in moving his little toddler chair around the kitchen to try and find delicious snacks on counters, climbing on anything and everything to reach the valuables that we try and prevent him from touching, etc... Independent.

Quinn is also quite gregarious. As I get older, this trait is something that I admire more and more, for I am becoming quite the opposite. For example, when we take him to a park he loves to watch for a couple of minutes and find an older child, almost always an older boy, who is just a bit braver (i.e. crazier) than him. He will study this child’s behaviors and then attach himself to the child like a leach. He follows the child around and tries to mimic his every behavior. Often times this annoys the older boys, but Quinn doesn’t seem to be clued in to this yet. This social personality of his (and need for structure), is what led Pat and I to make the decision to put him in a half-day "preschool" program twice a week. We figured that with a baby on the way, this would give Quinn some social time that he so desperately craves (and will give me a little bit of one-on-one time with baby). The transition has not been going as smoothly as I would have anticipated though. So, we'll see how long we last... It's hard to justify spending money that we don't NEED to spend when it doesn't seem to be the amazing outlet that we had predicted it would be.

This independent and gregarious child of ours also has a bossy side (I'm afraid he probably got this trait from me). Quinn demonstrates a pretty clear understanding of behaviors that are acceptable or not (in Pat and my eyes) based on his bossiness. For example, if he wants to do something that he knows he shouldn’t, he will direct Pat or me (or whoever is responsible for him at the time) to “go sit”, or “go play", or he will simply go and hide so we can't see what inappropriate thing he is trying to do. This can be anything from sneaking food he knows he shouldn't have to ripping our books off of the shelves. My parenting tends to suffer at this time because I find his directions hilarious, and am also fascinated by what he thinks he’ll be able to get away with. I am working on it.

When safety is an issue (which seems to be much more often than I'm comfortable with), I have an easier time being clear and consistent with my boundaries. Around his birthday, after the door unlocking skill developed, we worked very hard to establish clear boundaries for Quinn (i.e. no going out in the road). Quinn will test these boundaries and walk out to the last piece of grass before touching pavement, and will then cover his eyes as if he doesn't realize that he's moving outside of the acceptable play zone or defined boundary. These kinds of dangerous behaviors are what led us to introduce "time-outs" as a consequence for Quinn. Some days they seem to work well, and other days he just doesn't seem to get it. The best part of time-outs has been the release. Currently when I go to release Quinn from his time out he quickly says “saucy” (sorry), gives me a hug and kiss, and then shouts, “Play? Woohoo!” It's adorable. I know that consistency is key to developing a well-mannered child, and plan to continue to follow through with consequences for Quinn's sake (and my sanity). I must admit that so far Pat is more of the disciplinarian in our family. I would have never guessed that would be the case, but appreciate his strictness and aspire to be the same.

At two, Quinn's favorite place to be is outside. He loves water, running, jumping, sliding, swinging, climbing, and FREEDOM. Outside is his paradise. Sadly, the weather this summer has not cooperated. Quinn isn't deterred by weather, but mommy is. We've had some fun dates at the pool and beach though, and I look forward to many more.

Quinn also loves movies. He is familiar with nearly all of the Pixar titles, and is expanding his repertoire beyond Pixar as well. His newest favorite is Shrek, and he requests it daily. His screen time is not lacking, let's just say that.

Our little munchkin is an extreme animal lover. He learned animal sounds before any basic words, chooses books with animals before anything else, and absolutely loves his pets, Lucy and the cats. Poor Lucy puts up with all of Quinn's "love", and we are so grateful that she is a patient and tolerant pup. The cats don't put up with Quinn at all, and for that reason cats are a magical phenomenon for Quinn that can't be touched. He loves to see the cats and is learning that he needs to be very still if he ever wants them around. This stillness doesn't happen very often though, and consequentially, Quinn rarely spends time with the cats. Lately we've been dog sitting for a friend, and so there have been two pups around. Quinn has been in heaven, and luckily Gizmo ("Momo") is just as tolerant as Lucy.

Quinn's love for books seems to ebb and flow. Sometimes I'll find him sitting with a basket of books and see him read through each one independently, identifying the pictures and/or animal sounds that he knows from each page. Other times when he reads he'll pick one page in each book, say a word or two, and then close the book and say, "all done". I hope that his love of books develops more, but don't want to push him away either.

Our little love also seems to be inheriting his dad's love of sorting. Play nowadays consists mainly of sorting toys, putting toys in a line, moving toys from one spot to another, etc... As the sorting/rearranging takes place, he tends to count in his own special way, leaving out the number two always, and oftentimes just beginning with the number three. Quinn's counting goes something like this, "Wuh, tree, four, fide, sick, seven, eight..." and then random numbers start getting thrown around or he starts back at three. I would think he was unaware of the number two except my aunt was showing him the peace sign around the time of his birthday, trying to get him to say peace, and he responded with "No, two". We had been trying to teach him to respond to the question "How old are you?" with "Two, yahoo!". It happened on occasion, but hasn't translated into a sequential number for counting just yet. He goes through phases that seem to change daily regarding whether or not everything needs to be orderly vs. absolute chaos. Naturally, I prefer the orderly days, and am trying to figure out how to foster that preference.

Quinn is also developing an ever-growing list of comfort items (and learning how to procrastinate during our bedtime routine by adding to his list). Currently, when he goes to bed, the required toys are first and foremost "doggies" (there are two musts, but sometimes he has three), Buzz, Woody, Alien, Saur (dinosaur), Nemo, pillow pets (all three of them), etc... It is absolutely ridiculous, but not worth fighting in Pat and my opinion. Oh, and his binkies. We haven't let go of the binky yet, and I don't plan to take this away prior to his sister's arrival. I dread this transition, but know that the longer we wait the harder the break will probably be.

Thankfully, Quinn has had a growing interest in babies over the past couple of months as well, thanks to his cousin Delaney. Unfortunately, my intuition tells me that this interest will likely take a turn for the worst when there is a baby around 24/7. He has a big brother book that he enjoys reading (or having us read to him) and he picks out himself as big brother in the book and says “Quinn”, and he identifies the baby as either “baby” or his sister’s name. It’s pretty darling. He also requests "babies” on my computer, which means he’s interested in watching you tube videos of babies laughing or babbling. He gets the biggest smile on his face, and sometimes says (with prompting), "so cute!" I have been having a little (okay, a lot), anxiety about how he will adapt from being the center of our universe to having to share our attention as we welcome his sister into the world. I anticipate some rough weeks, but remind myself that siblings are a wonderful gift, and just pray that he and his sister will be the best of friends before we know it.

Quinn's language development has really started to take off in the past few months as well. However, when I see him around his peers I recognize that his speech is simply not as developed. He is starting to be able to express his needs and wants in a way that Pat and I can understand about 70% of the time, and that has been quite helpful. He also tries to mimic anything that we say, and he is showing an interest in knowing what things are called. This has been a huge step for us, and I anticipate his speech will continue to burst in the upcoming months.

A few of Quinn's most common words at two:

"Saucy"=sorry

"Tank-to"=thank-you

"Sucy"=Lucy

"Wook"=Look

"Where'd go?"=Where'd it go?

"Igunnagetchew"=I'm going to get you

"Eeww, yuck!"

I “anything imaginable”= I WANT that (he hasn’t figured out want yet)

...and our personal favorite, hands down: "Iyu you"=I love you.

I could go on and on about all things Quinn, but I think that this summarizes him pretty well at two. It is so fun to watch his little personality develop, and I am so grateful for the light that he brings to our lives.

Quinn, we love you! Happy 2nd birthday!!

21 Months Among Other Things

2011-04-16T19:34:00.000-07:00

My baby is almost two! Well, 3/4's of the way there at least. A lot has happened in the Gillette household over the past few months since my last update; it's hard to even know where to start (doesn't that sound familiar)!

Quinn's biggest accomplishment over the past few months has been his transition from a crib to a toddler bed. In February he started escaping his crib when he woke up and he happily greeted Pat and me each morning. This was adorable until he started escaping the crib at bedtime. That was just exhausting. Our bedtime routine, something that had been consistent and downright easy since Quinn was about 12 weeks old, turned into a two hour ordeal each night. Pat and I realized how lucky we had been to have a child who didn't fight us to go to bed, and we realized how much we needed a little downtime each evening for ourselves. After a couple of weeks of fighting the crib escapes, I broke down and bought Quinn a toddler bed and converted his nursery/guest room into a nursery/guest room/toddler room! "Broke down" probably isn't the right use of words, for any excuse to redecorate a room is an exciting task for me! The first night we put Quinn in his new bed he cried for about five minutes, and he hasn't cried being put to bed since! We weren't sure why we struggled through those two tough weeks when we realized how easy the transition would be! Nowadays, he's even picked up a new habit of waking up and helping himself to his toys. I couldn't be more thrilled about this. He tends to play for a half hour or so before he can't stand to be in his nighttime diaper anymore. As soon as Pat or I greet him in his room, he points to his diaper and walks to his changing table (usually because he's pooped). I'm just waiting for this playtime decision to take place in the evenings when he is supposed to be going to sleep...

In terms of temperament and attitude, most days I feel as if I already have a two-year old! Don't get me wrong, I love my little boy to pieces, but he has an independent attitude, knows what he wants, and if he doesn't get it he can throw a fit with the best of them. Two of his favorite words are "mine" and "no". We have introduced time-outs, and are struggling with the daunting responsibility of disciplining and raising a caring and respectful young boy.

It has been fun to watch Quinn's skills develop over the past few months. He is able to use his silverware with greater success (although he still reverts to using his fingers) and he is capable of using a cup without a lid successfully. That is, until he decides he's not thirsty anymore, at which point he simply dumps out whatever was left in the cup. We're working on it... He also loves to color and holds his crayon quite well for his age (better than some of my kindergarten students did at the beginning of the year). We sing the ABC's, count with him regularly, and practice things like colors and shapes, but he seems to have no interest. He has been starting to love puzzles though, and can put the pieces back in their spots with relative ease. His greatest academic strengths seem to lie in his ability to name and/or recognize nearly every Pixar character!

Quinn's speech continues to develop, although I feel as though Pat and I are still the only people who can understand what he is trying to say most of the time (and we can't always understand him). He has some very cute little phrases that he repeats regularly. Some include "Where'd it go?" "There you are!" "I don't know." "I love you." I am incapable of figuring out which letters to use to type the way Quinn actually sounds when speaking, so my goal is to get some of his talking on video.

Quinn's physical developments continue to soar. He loves to run and jump, and is getting fairly independent coming down stairs. I still can't leave him alone though! That daredevil in him cannot be trusted. :) Just last week, he started a new game where he would climb up the stairs, and then slide down feet first while rolling from his back to his tummy to his back again. I don't know where he comes up with this stuff, but he sure does keep me on my toes! Climbing onto beds and then jumping off is one of Quinn's favorite hobbies. And when you try and catch him, he'll run to the other side of the bed and try and jump off without assistance. Did I mention he's got an independent personality?

Quinn's favorite place to be is outside, which we are thrilled about. Unfortunately, it's been a cold and rainy spring. While that doesn't seem to bother Quinn much, it prevents me from wanting to spend too much time outside. I look forward to spending the summer months outside, chasing Quinn around the pool at our apartment complex. :)

While this is "old" news, I haven't yet shared that Quinn will become a big brother in August. Our projected due date is August 3. Between trying to balance mothering, a teaching job, and my family, this pregnancy has been flying by. In some ways this is nice, because with Quinn each week seemed to crawl by. However, I already have a sense of guilt for this poor child, because I feel as if she's being neglected. That's right, it's a SHE! Pat and I had our ultrasound about a month ago, but I did not want to learn the gender in the ultrasound like we did for Quinn. I wanted a different experience this time around. I even thought that I might want to go through my entire pregnancy not knowing the gender... but curiosity ultimately got the best of me! So, during our ultrasound we had the tech write down our baby's gender and place it in a sealed envelope. My parents were going to be in town visiting the following weekend to attend the Redmond Chorale choir concert that I was accompanying, so we thought it would be fun to share in the gender learning experience with them. Pat took the sealed envelope to a local bakery and had them decorate a cake for us with the inside frosting being pink or blue, to reveal the gender. As I cut into the cake and listened to Quinn cry for "cake, cake, cake" in the background, I was thoroughly shocked to see PINK. I am excited to have the opportunity to experience parenting a child of each gender, and am excited about frivolous things like ribbons and bows that will undoubtedly be a part of our future!

What Quinn wore to reveal our pregnancy to our families.

16 weeks

The gender revealing cake!

Our little angel

When we first learned of my pregnancy, we taught Quinn that the baby was in my belly and had him saying "day-dee" and kissing the baby regularly. Now that I am further along and showing, Quinn doesn't seem to care at all (as evidenced by his crawling all over me and saying "no" when we say baby). After today I am feeling more optimistic about our transition as a family of three to a family of four, though. We just spent the afternoon with our adorable niece, Delaney (another news update since my last post), and Quinn was showing so much more interest in the baby this time around. If she was drinking from a bottle, he wanted to be the one to feed it to her, and he wanted us to let him hold her. I'm sure he has no idea that he'll have plenty of baby holding and feeding opportunities in a few short months!

Delaney, two days old

Speaking of our adorable niece, Delaney Rae was born on February 10th and couldn't be more perfect. So far, we've been able to see her about once a month and while it doesn't feel like enough, we're grateful for the time that we have with her. I forget how quickly babies grow and change! She's already lost her "newborn" look and is demonstrating great strength in her neck and legs. She's such a happy baby who I've only heard fuss when hungry. It's been such a blessing to watch our family grow!

I don't do a very good job of updating about Pat's work, but he has recently accepted a new position that warrants an update! We first moved up here so he could work as a contract animator for Bungie on Halo Reach. This was a pivotal point in Pat's career, because it was the first time he was working on a game that he was proud of, and that he looked forward to playing himself. This job has also seemed to open up more job opportunities for him. When his contract was over, he went to a different company to work on a kid's game (something he wasn't as proud of professionally) but he was given leadership opportunities there that gave him a new perspective in his industry. Most recently, though, he accepted another contract animator position for 343 Industries, Microsoft's new game company that will be taking over the Halo series. He is working with his good friend, Will, and Pat is absolutely giddy to be working on a project that he is excited about again for a company that he believes in. I am giddy for him, and proud to be married to a man who truly follows his dreams (as corny as that sounds). If I am being completely honest, I would have to admit that I thought Pat's career goals were a long-shot when we first got married. I supported him, but I really had no idea where he'd end up professionally. Pat has been persistent and determined to do work that makes him happy, even if it is a competitive (and relatively unknown) industry. This opportunity at 343 has been perfect timing for our family as well, because while Pat is working there this next year, I will have the opportunity to stay home again with Quinn and our precious baby girl. I am so grateful for the year that I was able to spend with Quinn, and while I know that it is going to be a lot of work with two kids, I am looking forward to having the opportunity to spend another year at home.

Due to a series of incredibly fortunate events, Pat and I will be renting a new home from some gracious landlords (my parents) starting in October. We have the luxury of customizing the home to fit our tastes and preferences, and look forward to having more space for our growing family, and visitors!! This timeline does put us moving with a baby again, but we couldn't be more thrilled!

Life has felt so hectic lately, and I want to be able to look back at this busy time and remember the little moments that truly make my days special. Recently, the highlight of my days have been right after Pat (as "Mr. Turtle") or I read Quinn his bedtime story. He crawls into his bed, cuddles up in the covers, and whispers "I ya you" (I love you). My heart melts each time, and I can't help but take pause and revel in the abundant blessing that Quinn has been in our lives.

Quinn, the past 21 months have been the happiest of our lives and we couldn't love you more!

15-18 Months: A Few Pics

2011-02-01T06:18:00.000-08:00

Most bloggers are far more organized than I have been of late, and can manage to include both pictures and words in one post. Well, not me. Not this week at least. So, after brainstorming the latest happenings of Quinn, I thought it might be appropriate to share a few photos from the past couple of months as well. We've gotten a lot worse at taking photos, but here are a few that capture his precious personality and a few of the things that we've been up to lately.

16 months-ish (maybe?) out on the farm in Monmouth.

What a good helper! Outdoors is his favorite place to be, by far.

Beautiful fall day

I forgot to mention that he has a mouth full of teeth, but the drool all over his shirt is testament to that. Also, he's been fighting hats less lately, and even asks for one on some mornings. I couldn't be more thrilled! It's the one accessory I can get away with for my little boy. :)

One of our favorite places to go during the gloomy winter months is KidsQuest museum (really, indoor play area) in Bellevue. We probably visit about once a week on average, and Quinn loves it.

18 months

He really is this sweet, most of the time. :)

Q Update

2011-01-31T21:43:00.000-08:00

I imagine it gets old reading, "Where do I start?" every six weeks or so on this blog, but it's all I can think to say! I've tried to use this blog as a personal baby book for my family and Quinn, and so I am going to attempt to capture Quinn's latest achievements and developments for this purpose.

Quinn is now 19-months old, but just had his 18-month well-child visit. His stats from that visit were:

Height: 2' 9'' (63rd percentile)
Weight: 27 lb 3 oz (61st percentile)
Head Circumference: 49 cm (78th percentile)

When I was pregnant with Quinn we "interviewed" several pediatricians in San Jose, and took the responsibility of finding a caring doctor for him quite seriously. And then we moved. I was overwhelmed by the thought of going through the process of finding a pediatrician up here, and quite frankly, made the decision quickly and hoped for the best. I loved the pediatrician that Quinn had in the bay (even if Quinn only got to see him two times, once in the hospital and once a week later), but I LOVE our pediatrician here, Dr. Heng. She's informative, kind, knowledgeable, and she always gives me an idea of what I can be working on with Quinn that is developmentally appropriate for him. There was one time when we had to see a different doctor, and I hated him. :( So, the saying that all pediatricians are great doesn't necessarily hold true. I give this background so you can understand the sentiment that I felt when I went to make Quinn's 18 month well-child visit and was told that Dr. Heng would be on sabbatical for an indefinite amount of time. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. I made an appointment for Quinn with the only other doctor at our local Redmond office (who wasn't the man he had previously seen), and loved him too! So, now I am convinced that most pediatricians are fantastic. He possessed the same qualities as Dr. Heng, and I couldn't have been more relieved!

Developmentally, Quinn is still an active little boy. He loves to run and climb, and in the last several months he has added jumping to his bag of tricks. In fact, Quinn is quite the little stunt man in training. He will climb onto our guest bed (using a variety of toys to help boost him up) and will perform spinning jumps off of the bed, shouting "ta da!" when he "lands" (i.e. crashes) to the floor. He laughs, and proceeds to try a new trick off of the bed. It occurred to me that my child is likely to break a limb sooner rather than later (and as much as he tries to avoid my help, I have decided it's probably best to catch him as he jumps for now). I often times find myself just watching, so curious to see what he'll do next, and in those dangerous moments I have to remind myself that I am the parent here! He will also jump off of his toy chest, the couch, etc... Along with his stunt man traits, Quinn has picked up a "punch-fall". I'm not sure what to call it, but he'll clap his hands as if he's mimicking getting slapped across the face, and then fall to the ground. Pat and I have been racking our brains trying to figure out where he could have picked up this "trick" and the only thing we can think of is it must have come from daycare. It is a bit violent, but oh so hilarious. I don't think he means any harm, but I hope I'm not just a blind parent here as well. We do have video on one of our phones that I'd like to figure out how to upload at some point. Stay tuned. Anyhow, it is clear that Quinn enjoys stunts from an early age, and it will be interesting to see how these stunts develop as he gets older. Pat will oftentimes comment about how he can remember doing similar things, but seeing as how he remembers, I'm assuming he was a bit a older.

Quinn's speech has been trying to take off for the past several months, but I think it's safe to say that Pat and I are likely the only people who can understand at least 80% of Quinn's vocabulary. The most exciting new word came right around 18 months, and that was "mama". Yes friends and family, I had to wait 18 months to hear my baby say mama. He stay doesn't say it with regularity, but if I bribe him he will. For fun yesterday Pat and I tried to think of how many words Quinn says, and we came up with over 30. But, we are counting sounds such as "eease" for please and "ot" for hot. Quinn doesn't say whole words very well, but he is mimicking us more and more, and he is showing that he knows a lot of vocabulary by what he is able to point out in the books that we read together. Quinn continues to love making animal sounds, and has added a few new animals to his repertoire.

The most convenient development, and the one that I am the most ashamed of, is Quinn's love of movies. He will sit through an animated film from start to finish (or close to it). When we come home each day, it has become a routine for him to pick out a movie so I can prepare dinner, and sadly, Quinn has come to expect this. And yes, he can work the Blu-ray player all on his own. He will play with his toys as the movie is on, but when it gets turned off he says, "uh oh", and then asks for "more", wanting it turned on again. It is something that I'd like to see us cut back on, but it sure has been nice to be able to make dinner in the evenings and just relax a little.

The last time I spoke of Quinn's developments at 15 months, I was feeling overwhelmed by my parental role, particularly in regards to Quinn's temper tantrums. These tantrums still exist, but perhaps I am becoming more numb to them. Quinn knows what he wants, and if he doesn't get it, he will make is displeasure known to the world. I have no problems letting him "work it out" (by screaming on the floor for a few seconds/minutes) at home, but this is more of a challenge in public. Currently I struggle with balancing showing respect to those around me by keeping my child under control, and parenting my child. Thankfully, these moments do not occur too often. If Quinn is well-rested and fed, he's a pretty happy-go-lucky child.

Last week I was reminded how fortunate we have been with Quinn's health. Unfortunately, it takes a sickness for me to reflect on how much of his life has been spent well, or close to it. With daycare came many colds, but nothing that we couldn't handle. Two weekends ago Quinn got a flu bug that stayed with him for a couple of days. He acted perfectly happy; it was just no fun seeing him helpless in the moments when he was vomiting. Telling him that he couldn't have milk as he begged for it, starving was quite miserable as well. However, for some reason, the vomiting turned into diarrhea a few days later, which turned into a severe diaper rash. We haven't had to deal with diaper rash and I can now empathize with families that deal with this on a regular basis. Quinn wouldn't sit down, he wouldn't go into the bathtub, and he wouldn't even let me hold him because he was so uncomfortable. Our household was sleep deprived and miserable for a few days as we tried to nurse Quinn back to a comfortable state. I have yet to experience a worse feeling than seeing my baby in pain and not being able to take that pain away. I was an emotional wreck. Thankfully, Quinn is doing much better now, and our family is slowly catching up on sleep. Unfortunately, this week of sickness stole our blissful sleeper from us. Quinn was sleeping a dreamy 12 hours a night, from 8-8, and Pat and I were in heaven. Now, he's back to waking by 6 am, and Pat and I are trying desperately to adjust. We are not morning people.

In the upcoming months we look forward to meeting the newest additions to our extended family. Quinn is becoming obsessed with babies, and the timing couldn't be more perfect as his Auntie Lolo is due with baby Delaney any day now (well, technically she isn't due for 10 days), but we're ready NOW. We're just waiting for the phone call that Delaney is on her way, and we'll plan our road trip shorty thereafter. In addition, Zach and Emily are getting closer to receiving the referral for their Ugandan baby. They began the adoption process last March and have certainly put in their time. We are all getting anxious to meet these precious babies, and I am looking forward to seeing how Quinn reacts to these additions. It should be an exciting few months, and we just can't wait!

Quinn continues to be the greatest joy in our lives and we are so blessed by his loving and vivacious spirit each day.

Holidays 2010

2011-01-05T01:52:00.001-08:00

I am so behind, it's hard to even know where to start! I'm going to attempt to summarize the past six weeks of our lives in this one post. Suffice it to say, it was a busy holiday season for us this year. And, we wouldn't have wanted it any other way!

Thanksgiving Weekend

We spent Thanksgiving this year in Monmouth, and enjoyed our first Thanksgiving in one city. Normally, we try and cram in two Thanksgivings, and with our families living on separate sides of the state, five hours apart from each other, it was just getting too hectic. We had a nice time pigging out on Thanksgiving, watching Chloe and Quinn play together like never before (they were such cute little buddies on this trip, it was so fun to see), scouring the ads for the best Black Friday deals, shopping till we dropped (on several occasions), and celebrating Lora's pregnancy and baby Delaney while the boys played golf. It was a lovely weekend. Here's a few of pics from the weekend:

The ladies at Lora's family shower

The pretty table

What a cute cake! Thanks Emily!!

Happy Baby Shower Lolo!

Cuddling on the couch

Benjamin liked to be part of the action

It was a fun and exhausting day

Chorale Weekend

The following weekend, my parents came up to visit and attend the events surrounding the Redmond Chorale. I was asked to join this start-up non-profit community choir as the accompanist by one of my local friends this summer. Being eager to have an obligation on the side (aside from my mommy role), I happily accepted. Then, I got my Kindergarten teaching job! This choir isn't a huge time commitment, but we do meet weekly for rehearsals, and it takes rehearsal time for me at home as well. Things were a little busier than I had anticipated this fall, but it was a wonderful experience, and I agreed to accompany the choir again for their next concert in March. Anyhow, the first weekend in December the choir had three different performances, one at Redmond Lights, one church service performance, and a Sunday evening concert. It was great having my parents there because they were able to watch Quinn for two of the performances, making it so we only needed a babysitter for one evening! Thanks Mom and Dad!

Anniversary Weekend

When I dreamt of a winter wonderland wedding, I'm not sure I had thoroughly thought through what that would mean for future anniversary celebrations. In the same breath, Christmas time has an added layer of depth for me, as I reflect on how lucky I am to be married to such a great guy! This year Pat and I celebrated five years of marriage, and thought that it would be appropriate for us to pause, and just really enjoy a weekend together, with no hustle and bustle. So, we packed up the car, dropped Quinn off with Grandma Cathy, and enjoyed 24+ hours in Lincoln City, just the two of us. We napped, we ate, we shopped, we relaxed; it was everything I was hoping it would be. I just couldn't stand spending two nights away from our precious Quinn, so we headed back to Grandma Cathy's for the last night of our weekend getaway.

It's the Oregon Coast in December, so naturally, it was a little (okay, a lot) wet! Cathy bought us matching rain coats which really came in handy. Shelby, I know you'll get a kick out of this beach experience... :)

Christmas in Monmouth

The following weekend, we packed up the car yet again and drove back to Monmouth to celebrate Christmas with Pat's family. School had just ended, and so I was officially on Winter Break, hallelujah! We had our traditional clam chowder Christmas Eve dinner, spoiled the kids (and each other) with gifts, celebrated the reason for the season (Quinn is starting to sing along at church a little, and it's adorably hilarious), ate way too much good food, and just enjoyed our time together.

Quinn and Chloe working on a puzzle amidst the chaos.

They thought this was a good idea.

TV/bink sharing time.

More box fun with Auntie Riah

Christmas in Walla Walla

Pat had the whole week off in between Christmas and New Years, and so we were able to spend some extended time in Walla Walla. Believe it or not, we hadn't been there since September, and so it was so nice to have some time after all of our traveling to stay in one place! We were able to spend Christmas Eve in LaGrande with my mom's side of the family (our annual tradition), Christmas morning with my immediate family, Christmas afternoon with Pat's family, and then Christmas dinner with my Dad's side of the family. It wasn't as busy as it sounds. It was actually quite relaxing. Quinn enjoyed opening gifts, but his favorite part was climbing on boxes, standing up and shouting (with his hands in the air) "ta da!" He's such a ham! Our time in Walla Walla was spent eating copious amounts of food, being entertained by Quinn's energetic personality, and relaxing!

Cutie pie, getting into something he's not supposed to, I'm guessing.

My littlest love.

He got into the unwrapping. This kid loves to climb, as you can get a glimpse of here.

Sock monkey basketball. Funny boy.

Yes, my son got a microphone to use with a recycled karaoke machine for Christmas, and he loves it. I told you he's a ham!

New Years

For New Years, we were still in Walla Walla. During the day we relaxed and played in the snow. For dinner, my mom made her famous lasagna (Quinn's new favorite food), and Lora, Matt, my Nana, and Aunt Diane all came over. Afterwards we had our annual "game night" playing cards. Games are my favorite way to kick off a new year!

This is Quinn saying one of the new words he learned over the break, "sssnooow."

Attempting a snowman. We didn't get very far. :)

Well, I'm thoroughly impressed if you managed to hang in there through this entire post! We hope that you were able to spend the holidays surrounded by those you love and that your New Year is off to a great start!

Go Zags!

2010-11-21T19:56:00.000-08:00

We love having Ryan living in Seattle because we get to see him all the time now!

Ryan came over yesterday to babysit so Pat and I could enjoy a nice brunch at Sky City, the restaurant at the top of the space needle. Before Ryan arrived I was telling Quinn that his Uncle Ryan would be coming over to play with him, and Quinn jumped off my lap, ran to the front door (while signing "please") saying "Iian, Iian, Iian"! He was so excited to spend the day with his uncle, and Ryan did great! Not only did he feed Quinn and keep him entertained, but he was able to get Quinn to take a two hour nap (which is better than I can do most days). Way to go Ryan, and thanks for babysitting!

Here's a pic with Quinn and his Uncle Ryan taken a few weeks ago.

Can you guess what was for dinner? :)

A Couple More...

2010-11-11T20:11:00.000-08:00

I apologize for bombarding you with videos, but here are a couple more. I'll be done for a while now. :)

These videos are an homage to Quinn's love for animals.

A Glimpse...

2010-11-10T21:09:00.000-08:00

We are finally uploading a few videos that we've taken over the past couple of months. So, here's a glimpse of what Quinn's been up to in the evenings lately!

A little dancing:

A little ball throwing:

There are more, but they take forever to upload. Therefore, that's it for now! :)

Vancouver, BC

2010-10-23T22:50:00.000-07:00

Towards the end of the summer I took a day trip with a small group of girlfriends from Stroller Strides to Vancouver. I've lived in or near Washington all but three years of my life, and I've never crossed the border into Canada! We spent our day eating, soaking up the city, eating some more, and simply enjoying each other's company. It helped to have a native Vancouver-oneon showing us all the great spots! It was a memorable day!

For Grandma Cathy

2010-10-22T19:41:00.000-07:00

And anyone else who's interested!

Chloe teaching Quinn to jump at the beach this summer. (late July)

And we wonder why Quinn thinks it's okay to hit people?? (early September) :)

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

2010-10-20T21:01:00.001-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa Fleming came to visit last weekend to celebrate Grandma's birthday. They arrived late Thursday evening so that Grandma could sleep in and not have a long drive ahead of her on her birthday. Well, little Quinn didn't exactly allow the sleeping in part, but at least they didn't have to drive! Mom and Dad played with Quinn in the morning, and then when Quinn and I took off for daycare/work, they got a little shopping in. Uncle Ryan came over that night for pumpkin spice birthday cake and presents. We figured it was probably the first time we've all been together on an actual birthday since Ryan and I were in high school. Crazy!

The next day we ventured off to the Museum of Flight (Ryan's choice). I think it's required for someone in Ryan's field to visit this museum, and we were all happy to join him. Museums with a toddler are a little different than going with only adults; but frankly, I wasn't too interested in reading up on all of the details anyway, so Quinn, Grandma, and I had fun looking around and playing in the kids' area. Quinn loved playing in the planes, pressing the buttons, and in typical Quinn fashion, he tried to befriend any other child around him. He will consistently wave and say "Hiiiii" to just about anyone he sees now, it's so adorable (in my abundantly biased opinion). Anyhow, it was a nice day at the museum and we enjoyed a nice Seattle dinner on the water afterwards. Oh, and it was a GORGEOUS day! Fall has been stunningly beautiful this year.

Sportin' the shades!

Posing with the rocket.

Checking stuff out with daddy

Ryan's "learning" pose

Astro-Quinn

Seriously, could he be any cuter? :)

Lovin' all the gadgets!

Hang gliding, "Ahhh!"

Relaxing, but just for a second!

Learning about hot air balloons (aka, pressing any button he could get his little hands on)!

More learning. :)

Sitting in a plane with daddy.

I love them!

Posing in front of Air Force One

Pat wanted a picture in front of the bathroom Nixon would have used on Air Force One. Classy, I know. :)

Ryan, looking presidential as he steps off of Air Force One

It was so nice to have the family together to celebrate mom's birthday this year! Happy birthday, Mom!!

15 Months

2010-10-13T20:35:00.000-07:00

After Quinn turned one, I decided to do away with the monthly updates, and update once every three months instead. As I sit down to reflect on the changes that have occurred since Quinn turned one, I don't even know where to start!

First of all, he went to the doctor for a well-child visit two weeks before his 15 month birthday; here are his most recent stats from that visit:

Height: 32 1/2 inches (90th percentile)

Weight: 26 lbs (75th percentile)

Head Circumference: 49 cm (90th percentile)

*In other words, we've still got a mighty large boy on our hands!

Since Quinn's first birthday, Pat and I have have found that our role as parents is developing and becoming more overwhelming. We are comfortable showering our little boy with love and admiration, but when it comes to discipline, we have our work cut out for us (and a lot of learning to do)! Quinn has been throwing tantrums with regularity, and is experimenting with how to get what he wants immediately. He loves to drum, and will do so with the most convenient tools around (kitchen utensils, sticks, etc...). The drumming wasn't much of an issue until he decided that drumming on mommy or other people's furniture was acceptable, and even funny. Trying to teach him that it's okay to hit some things (i.e. a drum) but not others (i.e. mom) does not seem to make much sense to him yet. When it comes to running errands, he loves to pull things from shelves, play tag, and run up and down the aisles of stores, thus making these chores more of a hassle than they're worth. I take comfort in knowing that most parents of toddlers are experiencing similar behaviors.

Although the challenges of parenting have been a bit overwhelming at times, the sheer joy that Quinn exhibits towards life is inspirational. He is acquiring so many hobbies, and truly seems to have fun in just about any environment. He loves drumming, music, dancing, balls, water, play dough, the sound of his own voice, and being outdoors. It is such a joy to see the world through Quinn's fascinated eyes.

Developmentally, Quinn is continuing to hone his new-found skills. His run is getting faster and faster, in fact, I took him on a little hike last night and he must have run 1/4 mile with only a few stops (to check out the rocks and sticks along the way). I couldn't believe how fast he ran for such an extended period of time, given his size. Quinn also enjoys climbing and will climb whatever is in his immediate vicinity. He's like a cat in that he prefers to be as high as possible whenever possible. This has required some furniture rearrangement to attempt to keep him as safe as possible (which is no easy task). :)

Quinn's vocabulary is still quite small. He says nana (which is his universal word to date, meaning anything from food, to more, to give me that RIGHT NOW), dada, dog, and mama (on occasion). He loves to wave at other kids his age and say "hiiii", but if they show him any attention back he will immediately stop. He is also mimicking a few animal sounds, the cutest being his little "meow" which sounds more like "eow". He'll woof, pound his chest like a gorilla, and moo as well. He signs "more" with regularity (while saying nana), and "milk" and "eat" on occasion. We are really working on "please" right now, which he seems to be getting the hang of. We haven't been very consistent at teaching him new signs, oh well! In recent weeks Quinn has been attempting to speak more words like "hot", "up", and "out", but only Pat and I can understand him at this point. I am anxious for his vocabulary to continue to develop. I am so curious to talk to him and learn what's going on in that fascinating brain of his. :)

Another huge change in the Gillette household since Quinn turned one has been my going back to work. I had a part-time piano accompanying job at a private elementary school this summer, and that opportunity caused me to realize how much I missed having a classroom of my own. That same week (in late July) I finished my online application for the Lake Washington School District that I had begun in February, and long-story short, a few weeks later I was offered a PM Kindergarten teaching job. I was not ready to go back to work full-time, and so this opportunity couldn't have been more perfect (well, I would have preferred an AM offer, but have come to realize that working in the PM has some major benefits). Learning to balance work and home has not been easy, but I am learning. This change has allowed Quinn to attend daycare a few hours each day, and he is doing wonderfully. He is never thrilled to say goodbye, but tears at drop-off have dissipated, and Quinn is always having a great time when I pick him up. I am happy that Quinn has time to play with a few kids his age each day now. This is something that he wasn't getting enough of being at home with me.

It's been a busy few months, and Quinn is changing faster than we can keep up with. He continues to be the greatest joy in our lives. Every evening as Pat and I just sit and play with Quinn, we marvel at the infinite love that we have for our precious Quinn Zachary.

Mommy Fail

2010-09-19T22:19:00.000-07:00

Almost two months ago, Quinn experienced a new milestone. A milestone that I was hoping he would never experience, in fact. After suffering a pretty extreme fall, I had to rush him to urgent care. Or, at least I thought I did.

Here's how it happened. Quinn was playing upstairs in the hallway (near our computer) and we were getting ready to head out of the house. I went to my bedroom to grab some jeans to quickly throw on, and in the 10 seconds or so that I left Quinn he managed to get hurt. *I have left Quinn to play downstairs or in his room for much longer periods of time. Of course, it's when I'm only gone a few seconds that something major happens. I didn't hear him fall (and I was in the neighboring room), but I heard his scream. This wasn't a scream that I hadn't heard before. You see, Quinn is a busy kid and he gets hurt a lot. I rushed to see what had happened and he was just staring at me, face bright red, screaming (but no sound was coming out at the time). I was asking him "Did you bonk your head?" He tends to hit himself wherever he's hurting which gives me a little indication of what has happened. However, as I asked him this fairly typical question, I noticed a HUGE goose-egg on his forehead. I cannot tell you how big it was, and by the time we took pictures the swelling had gone down almost all the way. I didn't know that it was possible for a forehead to swell up so much so quickly. It was at least the size of a golf ball, and for a little head, that's pretty extreme. I felt awful. I picked him up, hugged him profusely, and apologized for leaving him alone (for those 10 seconds). I quickly carried him downstairs, pulled out some frozen veggies to try and ice his forehead, and called my Dr. Dad for advice. My Dad is a rational person. He doesn't recommend that people go to urgent care often, and so when he told me to take Quinn in, I was scared. He did provide me with some encouragement though, because apparently with a head injury, immediate swelling is a good sign. It tends to indicate that there isn't bleeding in the skull (or I think that's what I remember him saying).

Anyway, after calling my Dad I called Pat to let him know that I had to take Quinn in to urgent care. My hysterical state had Pat a little concerned that I wouldn't be able to drive, but I calmed myself down enough to safely get Quinn to the doctor.

By the time we arrived at urgent care, roughly half an hour post fall, the swelling had already started to go down significantly. Quinn thought that urgent care was a great place! He loved the different toys that were there, and was in particularly good spirits. People who saw him pitied him though. The bump was definitely still noticeable.

The doctor on call saw Quinn and said that it looked like the worst was probably already over. He warned me that there would probably be a residual bump for up to a month (which there was) and he gave me a series of things to watch out for over the next 24 hours to ensure that Quinn hadn't suffered a concussion or brain damage. Luckily, Quinn had been back to his happy, and seemingly healthy self, and so this conversation about the possible long-term effects seemed pretty unlikely to me.

This experience reminded me just how fortunate we are to have a healthy little boy. Also, life is fragile and one little accident could easily be life-changing. I wish I could say that I have been able to keep Quinn out of harm's way since this traumatic experience, but the truth is, one short week after Quinn visited urgent care he took a fall down our stairs. All of them. Yikes! I was feeling a little negligent, to say the least.

Front view

Profile (I know it's not real noticeable). Trust me, it was a few hours earlier!

The good news for Quinn was, Mommy was feeling so guilty about his accident that he got a popsicle for dessert that night!

And his binky before bed... :)

Plum Picking

2010-09-14T21:29:00.000-07:00

I am finally getting around to downloading pictures from our camera from the summer, and this series of photos made me smile. Quinn loves his time at Grandma Cathy's house, especially when the weather's nice and he can play outside in the dirt and eat fruit!

All cleaned up and happy as can be!

Iron Girl 2010

2010-09-14T20:16:00.000-07:00

About 3 months ago I made the commitment to run in the annual Iron Girl 10K around Green Lake in Seattle with a group of my stroller strides friends. I joined the running club that met each Friday afternoon for an hour or so to train for the race. Initially I joined for social reasons and to try and lose a few inches from my mid-section (which by the way, I'm pretty sure I did not)!

Fast forward to this past Sunday, September 12. The big race day! As Pat was driving me into Seattle at the crack of dawn, I was questioning why in the world I ever thought that voluntarily running was a good idea. I had butterflies in my stomach, and to that point, I had never been able to successfully run the complete 10K without walking. However, on Sunday, miraculously I actually completed the race with no walking breaks! I credit my friend Joanna for keeping me going. There were moments when I started to tell myself that walking wouldn't be such a bad idea, and she was there to motivate me and tell me that I could do it. Running is such a mental game! It's amazing how exhilarating accomplishing something that was previously deemed unattainable can be.

Now, I am perfectly aware that a 10K is not the most impressive distance in the world, especially given the popularity of half and full marathons nowadays. But for me, a non-athletic, non-runner, any distance running was quite an accomplishment! I learned that I had to stop telling myself that "I can't" and just go. I never expected to ENJOY running, but surprisingly, by the time race day came, I actually did!

Now, I'm hoping to make a habit out of this and run several 10Ks a year. New goal: beat my time. (My time on Sunday was exactly one hour, well and a 100th of a second or something).

We'll see how long this motivation lasts...

Pre-race "carb-loading" (aka, an excuse to go out and eat pasta!)

I'm alive! Seeing Pat and Quinn as I crossed the finish line made the torturous hour of running totally worth it! They both looked so proud. It was definitely the highlight of the whole experience for me!

Pat wasn't a very aggressive Paparazzi (hence the side view). Here is our team minus a couple who had to take off right after the race.

Strong women!

The team + families

Beach Babe

2010-09-14T19:50:00.000-07:00

This summer Quinn got to take several trips to local beach parks, and we even took a day trip to a real beach in Lincoln City on the Oregon Coast with Emily and Chloe! I have always loved the water, and Quinn seems to be following suit. He's not afraid to get in, regardless of temperature, and his fearless attitude enables him to always have a great time (not to mention, keeps mommy and daddy, and all other caretakers on their toes)!

Beach Trip #1: Newcastle Beach Park (Bellevue)

My little beach babe!

Invading the little pond that some boys dug up.

I love how kids will befriend each other so easily. Sometimes Quinn bothers the older kids because he will mess up whatever it is they are working on. These boys were pretty sweet though and were getting a kick out of this little baby wanting to play with them. So cute!

Beach Trip #2: Lincoln City

Cousins!

We had such a fun day with Chloe and Auntie Emily!

Cutie!

Such a big boy!

Beach Trip #3: Idylwood Beach Park (Redmond)

It was all fun and games until...
*BTW: Pat is not a huge fan of this next series of photos, but I was happy to have caught this little (unplanned) "dip" on film! If we're going to document Quinn's life, we have to document it all, right? (or, as much as possible)

Help Daddy, I'm slipping...

Oops! Fell over!

The rescue.

He's okay! In fact, he didn't seem to mind taking the dip one bit!

There was also post swimming fun to be had on the swing

and the slide!

As we come into fall, our beach days are probably over for a while. Until next year!

Bragfest

2010-09-09T19:42:00.000-07:00

Pardon me while I embark on a quick little bragfest! I just can't help myself.

Celebratory item #1: RYAN FINISHED GRAD SCHOOL!!!!! OFFICIALLY! If you read this often you may remember us traveling to Chicago and Indiana to attend Ryan's Purdue graduation ceremony. While we celebrated his accomplishments then, we really ought to be celebrating now because he is officially DONE! Ryan has been working insanely hard for the past 2+ years, and I'd say over the past six months (at least) he's been putting in an AVERAGE of 15 hours a day, 7 days a week (and that is probably a conservative estimate). So, congratulations Ryan. We are so proud of you and can't wait to have you close to us again! In fact, Dad flies to Chicago tomorrow to keep Ryan company as he makes the long drive back to the Northwest.

Celebratory Item #2: After only two months of working at Pat's new company, Griptonite, he was already promoted to Lead Animator!! I'm not sure I've really talked about Pat leaving Bungie, so I'll give a quick update here. We took a huge leap of faith and moved to Redmond last year so Pat could work for his dream company, Bungie Studios. We moved even though it was only a one-year contract. Rational and responsible people (new parents at that) probably wouldn't have made the decision to move, but we are not always rational or responsible. :) Anyway, Pat soaked up each day of his year at Bungie, but when the contract came to an end they no longer needed his services. So, the week of Quinn's birthday also happened to be Pat's last week at Bungie. Luckily, Pat was able to find a job immediately at Griptonite Studios. The vibe seems to be more laid back at Griptonite, and Pat was hoping that this might be a company where he could grow in terms of his leadership skills. Yesterday, Pat came home saying that they were talking about possibly making him lead animator on the project that he is working on, and today it became official! I couldn't believe how fast that happened for him, and I couldn't be more proud! Congratulations Mi Amore!

Justin's Wedding

2010-08-29T08:01:00.000-07:00

My cousin Justin married his long-time girlfriend Lindsay this summer in the beautiful Mount Hood mountains near Sandy, OR. They started dating on July 28, he proposed on July 28, and so naturally, they married on July 28! Who cares if it was a Wednesday? We liked their attitude. So, Pat took off of work so we could go celebrate with them as they united in marriage.

The location was stunningly beautiful. The wedding was quaint and simple, and seemed to fit their wishes just perfectly. Enjoy a few snapshots from the day, captured by my Dad! Congratulations Justin and Lindsay!

Stroller Strides

2010-08-28T22:14:00.000-07:00

Stroller Strides is a franchised fitness program for moms based out of southern California (I believe). You might be thinking, big deal? Well, for me it is. After having a baby and moving out of state in a months time, I was undergoing many new changes in life (happily) but I was incredibly overwhelmed. Meeting people is not something that comes easily for me. I have to really take myself out of my comfort zone in order to interact and socialize with new people. I spent the first several months of Quinn's life just snuggling with him and meeting his basic needs. Although I didn't recognize it at the time, I was beginning to lose my sense of self.

When I saw that there was a local fitness group for moms and babies I was desperate enough to meet new people that I decided to give it a try. Working out and staying healthy is important to me, and so I felt like if nothing else I would get a workout. I had nothing to lose.

I participated in my first class at the end of November last year, when Quinn was about 5 months old. I was immediately hooked. Missti, the trainer for the Redmond franchise was warm and welcoming, and she gave me a wonderful workout. In addition, she planned monthly "Mom's Night Out" events and weekly crafts after class for kids. I signed up for a monthly membership immediately.

Since joining the Redmond Stroller Strides it has only continued to grow, and Missti continues to outdo herself. I believe she has about 90 members and she offers morning and evening classes. Her objective is to not only give moms a great workout, but to provide a social outlet for moms and babies as well. I could not be more grateful for finding this group. I have met some incredible moms and babies through this program and have been motivated (or coerced) into running a 10K in two short weeks. For a non-runner, this will be quite the challenge for me!

In the past few weeks there have been some changes in my life that have prevented me from being able to participate in Stroller Strides, and I am missing it terribly (hence the post I suppose). Hopefully I'll be able to start to fit it back into my schedule soon.

Missti has been nominated as Instructor and Franchisee of the Year. I haven't participated in any other franchises, but I can't imagine a more deserving candidate. Below you can view the videos that she had to submit as a nominee. If you are a mom with a stroller aged baby, I highly recommend finding a stroller strides near you! :)

The Quin(n)tessential Party

2010-07-25T14:26:00.000-07:00

*This post was written a month ago, and I realized that I never got around to publishing it due to photo complications. Since I use this blog as a personal memory preservation tool for my family, I am posting it anyway. Please bare with me and forgive my tardiness regarding this OLD news! :)

...For the Quin(n)tessential Kid!

We had a wonderful time with family and friends celebrating Quinn's first year of life the last weekend in June. In a nutshell, we barbecued, ate a lot, visited, spoiled Quinn with gifts and cake, watched the kids enjoy splashing in the pool and running around the yard, and most importantly, just enjoyed our time together.

As you'll be able to see, Quinn's first cake eating experience was a bit anticlimactic. In hindsight, he really didn't need his very own cake! A simple slice would have been just fine. :) The big cake that we were trying to get a family picture with at the beginning of the video was decorated by Pat. Didn't he do great? Quinn wasn't too interested in posing for a picture though. He was ready to dig in right away. So we quickly gave him his personal "first birthday freebie" cake and let him go to town. He got through about 1/3 of the frosting, and was then in a sufficient sugar comatose to get out and play!

Pat and I snapped a few photos before people arrived of the decor (which I had fun obsessing about for months), but sadly, didn't get any once the party actually began. Thankfully, Will was there with camera in hand! Below is a link to an album of the photos we have from the day. Enjoy!

http://picasaweb.google.com/kimberlygillette/TheQuinNTessentialFirstBirthdayParty#

We love you Quinn! You have fulfilled our lives in immeasurable ways and we are so proud to be your parents. Happy first birthday!

Happy Birthday, Quinn!

2010-07-23T07:02:00.001-07:00

One month later... so, I know I'm a little late reporting the festivities that surrounded Quinn's epic first birthday, but I figure it's better late than never, right??

Quinn had such a fun first birthday filled with family, animals, food, and baseball! Throughout the day we had Pat's family coming in to town to go with Quinn to his first Mariners/Cubs baseball game. Amazingly enough, the Cubs were playing the Mariners for inter-league play. This only occurs once in a blue moon and the fact it landed on Quinn's birthday was beyond awesome.

Mariah and Eric showed up first and got some quality play time in with the birthday boy while Pat and I got ready. Then we (Mariah, Eric, Pat and I) took Quinn to the Woodland Park Zoo. Summer weather had been non-existent around here (like most of the Northwest) and so when the sun came out we appreciated it more than ever. It was a beautiful day, and Quinn seemed to enjoy looking at all of the zoo animals. He even started doing a pretty great monkey impression, complete with flailing appendages. We spent a couple of hours there, and based on Quinn's temperament we probably could have stayed longer, but we were anxious to get back home to see the rest of the family who had made the drive for Quinn's special day. Okay, who am I kidding, they made the drive for the baseball game! Nonetheless, we were excited to see them!

The Zoo Crew. That's right. I said Crew.

Auntie and Uncle

The Zoo makes Quinn happy

Um...there is probably an animal back there somewhere. Maybe not.

Monkey faces!!

Now let's go over there.

When we got home, Uncle Matt, Auntie Lolo, Papa, and Nana were there to greet us. Quinn got a little more play time in (since he refused to nap with all of the excitement going on around him), while the rest of us caught up and snacked a little, or a lot.

Before we knew it, it was time to get ready for the baseball game and head on back to Seattle. Quinn was decked out in his "I might be little but I'm a HUGE cubs fan" onesie, Cubs hoodie, and Cubs baseball cap. I thought that we would stick out like a sore thumb at a Mariners game in all of our Cubs attire, but there seemed to be as many Cubs fans there as Mariners fans. It was nice to be in good company!

Psycho Dad!! ONE!

Other Auntie and Uncle

Let's go Cubs!!! Oh no! They're losing!!!

Nana and Papa Sisters/Aunties/Cubs fans

The game itself was BORING (although this is not the opinion of the entire Gillette family). The Cubs lost (a rarity, HA!), but we had a nice time watching Quinn soak up this classic American pastime. I was nervous about how Quinn would do since the game didn't start until Quinn's bedtime, but he did wonderfully! Our child knows how to "power through for the fun"!

'Not the best outcome' faces

In fact, Quinn stayed awake to celebrate the actual minute he was born (9:57 pm!), and then he crashed in the car on the way home. Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate Quinn's birthday! It was such a memorable day, and most importantly, Quinn seemed to really have a good time!

It was a good group, and a fun day!

Achievement of the Day

2010-07-22T22:01:00.000-07:00

It has been scientifically proven. Quinn is a complete and utter genius. The proof? Today Quinn managed to jostle open our high-tech, baby-locked, it-takes-each-adult-about-10-minutes-of-fiddling-to-figure-it-out safety gate. I have our upstairs fairly "baby proofed" (so I thought) and so while I get ready in the mornings I let Quinn have free reign. I had heard him playing with the gate, but knew that it was locked and so I didn't worry about it. Eventually I realized that I hadn't heard him fiddling with it anymore and so I decided to see which room he had ventured to next (he loves pulling books off of our bookshelf and so I was expecting to find a disaster somewhere... or, remember the closet incident?). Much to my surprise, he was sitting at the top of the stairs, swinging his feet and looking prouder than I've ever seen him. Thank goodness he just sat there to gloat and didn't try going down! I wish that I had snapped a quick picture, but I was too panicked and focused on getting him into a safer situation. What was I thinking? I guess you'll just have to use your imagination!

Bust A Move!

2010-07-11T21:30:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we took a trip to Albuquerque with my parents to see my beautiful cousin Jana get married. It took place at the Sandia resort and casino looking out on a golf course with a nice view of the Sandia mountains in the background. The highlight of our trip was undoubtedly getting to see family that I hadn't seen in years, 5 years to be exact. Introducing Pat and Quinn to the family was such a joy for me. Even though I don't get to see this family very often, they are so warm and loving that it makes it feel like I see them everyday. Nothing compares to that Southern hospitality!

This trip we learned something new about our darling little Quinn, as well. He is a party animal! He wanted to be on the dance floor playing with the other kids in the beginning, and by the end (after careful observation) he was mimicking a variety of dance moves. He was so active, in fact, that we had him out in the lobby area for a lot of the reception. The first video starts out in the lobby when Quinn had been spending some time with my parents while Pat and I enjoyed some dance time together in the reception hall. We went out to check on him, discovering that he had befriended a little guy just a couple of weeks older (I believe) and they were practicing their dance moves together (you'll notice Quinn attempting a few break dance tricks as well). As the video gets dark, Pat is following Quinn into the reception hall where Quinn maneuvers himself around the guests, making his way to the dance floor. Like I said, the kid likes to party! Pat and I have never been great dancers, so I'm pretty sure Quinn will be teaching us the latest and greatest moves in no time! The second video is Quinn on the dance floor showing us his moves (it's very difficult to see because it's so dark, but I figured I'd give it a try for those of you who are interested)!

Good Fun With Grandpa!

2010-07-11T21:14:00.001-07:00

Quinn loves his Grandpa so much! Here are a couple of clips of Quinn and his Grandpa playing away the weekend of his party (June 25). Enjoy!

The Price You Pay...

2010-07-07T10:26:00.001-07:00

...for using the restroom with a toddler in the house!

I am learning that with each medial task I try to tackle throughout the day (use the restroom, clean the kitchen, make something delicious for myself besides mac 'n cheese or crackers) there comes some serious consequences. Quinn is getting faster and faster at being destructive and here is a glimpse of what he was able to accomplish in a matter of seconds. My neatly organized closet, color-coordinated and arranged by season, was completely (okay, maybe not completely) destroyed by my adorable little angel.

I don't even want to share what he's been able to accomplish as I type out my woes! There's a reason I save my blogging for nighttime when the little guy is snoozing away in a sweet slumber.

Quinn Quiz

2010-07-06T22:26:00.000-07:00

So, there were many festivities (okay, two) surrounding Quinn's birthday that I'll go into detail about in another post (or two), but I thought I'd share the "Quinn Quiz" that Pat and I created for his party! Test your knowledge of our little man here! :)

1. In Quinn’s first year of life, he was on how many flights?

a. 47

b. 2

c. 6

d. 1

2. How many states did Quinn visit in his first year of life?

a. 5

b. 2

c. 54

d. 9

3. What is Quinn’s middle name?

a. Thaddeus

b. Patrick

c. Tiberius

d. Zachary

4. What is Quinn’s largest stuffed animal?

a. Teddy Bear

b. Penguin

c. Gorilla

d. Dolphin

5. What’s Quinn’s favorite toy?

a. Cell phone

b. Remote control

c. Lap top

d. All of the above

6. How many Cubs games did Quinn go to in his first year of life?

a. 0

b. 2

c. 4

d. 1

7. Where was Quinn born?

a. San Jose, CA

b. El Paso, TX

c. Walla Walla, WA

d. San Francisco, CA

8. How many teeth does Quinn have?

a. 1

b. 7

c. 12

d. 3

9. Which element does Quinn love to, and get to play with?

a. Earth

b. Fire

c. Water

d. Hydrogen

10. How old is Quinn?

a. 1

b. 87, Benjamin Button style.

c. 5 Weeks

d. a. The answer is a. C’mon people. Thanks for playing!

*Please forgive the terrible spacing. Copy and pasting has not been working out for me very well this evening, and I'm giving up! You get the idea... :)