21 Months Among Other Things

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!