teething

Quinn,
I know I need to post pictures from your birthday party, but it's been a rough past couple of days.  I think I've finally figured it out, I think you are getting your molars in.  Poor baby. :(
Dr. Moylan mentioned that they would be coming soon, he saw that they were swollen.  Well, you are a mess- nose running, fussy, waking up at night, not eating.  Saturday you threw up all over me and then later in your crib, but you were acting fine.  I called the doctor's office and the nurse didn't seem concerned.  I thought maybe it was from starting you on the cow's milk.  Well, you didn't throw up any more after Saturday but now you are fussy and your nose is running so I think now it's those molars.  I am super tired from being up with you at night but we are going to get through this together.  I'll wait a couple more days to give you any more cows milk, don't want to make things any worse.

We did have a fun afternoon with Alicia and Jude.  You and Jude had a nice lunch date at Brio and then 1/2 price cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory.  Fancy, fancy!  Don't worry, us mommies carried you and Jude, and your diaper bags, and your highchair seat all over the plaza so you guys could hang out and babble at each other.  I mean, I guess us mommies did a little bit of talking and eating as well.  :)

 

"Here, let me get you some bread Quinn."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ONE Year Old Stats

ONE Year Old Stats

17 lbs 2 oz
28.25 inches
8 teeth (4 top, 4 bottom)
Loves: reading books, cheerios, snap pea crisps, playing in water, climbing everything, attention from strangers, smiling, clapping, waving, pointing, using baby signs
Says: Mama, Dada, "no, no"

Yesterday was your 12 month doctor's appointment.  I love going to see Dr. Moylan because I always leave feeling better about the world.  He is so laid back and easy going.  He says you are doing great.  You are only in the 3rd percentile for weight now but he says not to worry because it's normal with how active you are.  He was saying this as you excitedly crawled back and forth on the exam table and then stood up and banged on the wall.  :)  He said with a laugh, "Yep it looks like she's doing fine."  He says if you are hungry then you will eat, just keeping offering food.  He was super supportive about breastfeeding.  He said all 4 of his children were nursed past a year and that it was up to you and I when we wanted to stop.  (Now that you are a year old I did get some Shatto Dairy whole milk for you to try.)  Dr. Moylan also said he was happy to see the bug bites on your legs because that meant you were spending a lot of time outside.  :)  At the end of the appointment you had to get your shots. :(  You had three and cried pretty hard for a couple minutes which broke my heart but soon you were okay.  Then we had to go next door to get blood drawn for a lead test since our house is 110 years old.  I was so nervous about this because they actually draw your blood like they do on an adult!  I had to sit in the chair with you on my lap and hold you with my arm across your shoulder and my other hand holding out your arm.  The nurse was very good and fast and got it right in your vein and you DIDN'T EVEN CRY!  We were both shocked!  She said it was one for the record books.  It was like you were just interested in watching what was going on.  I couldn't believe it!  My brave little girl!  Daddy and I both hate needles, esp. blood draws, so I don't know where you got that from, maybe you'll go into the medical field :p

You birthday party was lots of fun.  I'll have to do a separate post about that once I get through all the pictures.  But you had a great time!!

Happy, Happy Birthday My Love!

Happy Birthday my sweet sweet girl!  I have a busy night of party prep ahead of me so I won't write much.  Today we took some photos, played with Caleb, had lunch with Daddy, took two good naps, played outside, and played in the Chic-Fil-A play place.  It was a fun birthday.  Daddy even went down the slide with you!  And tonight I took just a little longer to put you to bed, because I didn't really want to say good night, I just wanted to hold you on your birthday for a little longer.  I love you more than I could have ever imagined loving anyone. 

PS: We are going to have lots of fun at your party with all your friends and family!

When I woke up this morning I thought of how on this day last year I was waking up pregnant for the last time.  I was a week and a half overdue and had no idea that you would be in my arms the very next day.  Tomorrow at 8:25am you will be exactly ONE YEAR OLD!!  We are going to get up in the morning and do a photo shoot and then play and then I will continue getting things ready for your big birthday party!   

To reflect on the last couple of weeks, here are some of amazing things you've done:

You've started to brush your hair with your comb or with my brush.  If I give your teddy a kiss you will copy me and give him a kiss too, then you give me a kiss.  You now notice so much more, all around you; you point at things with this look of sheer joy and excitement on your face.  You notice the paintings on your bedroom wall, the magnets on the fridge, and especially the photos of yourself hanging in the dining room.  Sometimes I swear I hear you trying to say "baby".  You LOVE it when you see birds outside, you point and your eyes follow them as they fly. 

I am so blessed to have literally spent just about every moment of this past year with you.  I have the best job in the whole world.

I just looked at the clock and it's 8:27pm, which is about the time that I started to labor.  So with that I leave you with some reflective photos:

 here we are about to leave for the hospital

my first time holding you 

(which was after you went to the NICU)

 

our new family

 Quinny Bear

 me as we were getting ready to leave the hospital, emotional as always

I'm a cow.

Quinn, this totally happened, your mom is soooooo cool :p

"I'm not too chicken to dress like a cow!" 

It was "Cow Appreciation Day" at Chic-Fli-A, so if you dressed like a cow you got free food.  It was really fun.  Bree and Josie invited us to dress up with them.  The best part was that after we ate some food we took you girls into the "play place" and you had so much fun.  I couldn't believe how brave you were.  You climbed up the stairs, crawled through the tunnels, crawled up and went down the slide.  Then when I would pick you up thinking you were done you would wiggle out of my arms and take off to do it again- all by yourself!  I followed closely behind of course.  Bree and I were getting quiet a work out following you and Josie up through the tunnels and down the slide.  I feel so incredibly blessed to have mom friends to be silly and have fun with!

 "Put me down mom, I want to go play!"

You and your BFF Josephine had so much fun!

Reflections 2

I just rocked you to sleep.  I haven't done that in a while.  It was nice, I held you for a while and kept rocking before putting you in your crib to sleep.  I was getting emotional thinking about you turning one on Friday.  I don't know why it's so emotional for me.  It's just hard to believe.  You are such a big girl.  I set up your play hut with a slide in the yard this afternoon, you already figured out how to climb up the slide and go back down it. 

I. LOVE. YOU.

Reflections 1

Dear Quinn,

You will be a year old in one week from today.  It's crazy to think that this time last year you were still inside of me, not quite ready to come out.  I was half a week over due at this point.  Daddy and I were going to every movie that was in the theater and going out to eat a lot to try to keep our mind off waiting.  The weekend before you were born I remember dancing around the house to "Jesus Christ Superstar" on vinyl with Daddy and Aunt Chrissy, in hopes that I would go into labor.  It seems like a lifetime ago.

Last night I gave you a bath and then sat back and just watched you play for about 25 minutes.  You are magnificent.   Children have so much to teach the world about joy and simple raw emotions.  You were so engaged in playing with the rubber ducks and the water.  When you finally looked up at me and handed me a duck, I placed him on my head and you erupted into giggles and pointing, trying to reach it and grab it off my head, just to hand it back to me to do it again.  That reminds me of a sermon at church not too long ago.  Isaac talked about "wonder" and about the child-like spirit.  He talked about the young child's favorite phrase "do it again" over and over, not bored by repetition but delighting in it.  Could it be that when it comes to the natural world God is more child-like, commanding the sun each morning to rise saying 'do it again', where we grown up people are not strong enough to exalt in monotony.  The Isaac quoted: " 'For we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger then we.'  In other words for you and I to become apathetic at something that is essentially a miracle, even if that miracle is repeated over and over again, it's not a sign of maturity, it is a sign of weakness."

Quinn, watching you delight in the world gives me new eyes to see the wonder and majesty of God's world.  If I can slow down and pause and listen and see.  Why is this so hard?  Because I am weak, I am filled with a "need" to be busy, entertained, always moving.  But oh the sweetness and connection I can have with you and with our Lord when I just stop and listen and see.  Thank you for helping me with this my sweet girl.

I feel like there are some gaps in my blog this summer.  I have so many pictures that my blog has turned into a photo bomb.  Instead of trying to add to old posts I will just write in a few things here.

Here are a few family photos of us from one of our small group potlucks.  And no, this is not how we normally dress for small group.  :p  Jeff had just come from work so he was wearing a tie and Q and I were dressed up because Ali was hired by Rotel to take photos of our "Spring Into Summer" potluck featuring Rotel recipes for her blog, and we wanted to look summery.  :)
Here is a link to the blog post: http://gimmesomeoven.com/rotel-party-giveaway/

 *these photos were taken by Katie Jarmer*

In St. Louis (in May) we went on a long hike with the fam.  It was quiet a bit too long for Quinn, esp. since it was hot and we were carrying her in the Ergo.  But the first half was fun.  :)

 

Jeff and I also got to go a Cardinals game with Dad and Wendy.  

It was super hot but the seats were great.

Then on Monday (Memorial Day) we went to see Grandpa's grave-site because it was his birthday.  Dad brought some roses (Gpa's favorite flower) and we said a prayer.  Afterwards we went to breakfast.  Quinn loves drinking out of straws.

And I'll leave you with this... zombies, yes, zombies.  Back in KC at First Fridays, we are walking to the car to get Q home to bed where we are stopped dead in our tracks... by the living dead.  Hehehe :)

The picture doesn't even begin to do it justice.  We stood there for like 10 minutes and they just kept coming, Jeff says at least 500 zombies, and they were still coming when we finally walked on.  My initial reactions was to clutch Jeff's arm in fear/shock.  I had no idea what was going on.  Then I remembered that zombie are not real and we live in KC, so I should be surprised by a zombie parade, our city is nuts. :p  But for real, it was awesome.  I mean the zombies looked and acted like actual zombies: bare feet, ripped clothes, covered in fake blood, some with crazy contacts, walking and twitching and grunting.  Awesome.  I love living in the city.  :)  Later I looked it up and it was the "Zombie Walk for Hunger".  Ha!  If it were Vampires I'd be all in.  

http://kczombiewalk.org/

We love books!

I have an slight obsession with children's books.  I love the characters, the rhymes, the stories.  Most of all I love the illustrations, some of them are absolutely amazing, such works of art.  I have my favorite authors: Eric Carle and Mo Willems.  Our basement is full of boxes of children's books from my years of teaching, but I still have a hard time not buying more from garage sales.  Now I limit myself to board books for Q.  :)

Quinn already loves reading books, which makes me so happy.  We read at least three times a day, before each nap and bed time.  Quinn will sit in my lap and listen to several books.  She loves to point at things with me and loves to turn the pages.  Her favorite books are Ten Little Ladybugs (because it had little plastic ladybugs on each page that we point to and count) and The Hungry Little Caterpillar (because it has holes for her to put her fingers in).  She also loves Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (it has sections that she can slide over to revel the next animal).
And of course, we still read Goodnight Moon before bed each night or we read my version of Goodnight Moon that I wrote for her.  (I wrote in the same style but with things from her own room and I took pictures and printed it as a photo book online.)

Now when I put her in her room to play she almost always pulls some books off the shelf and sits and looks at them and tries to turn the pages on her own.  It's the sweetest thing.  If I sit in the room with her, she brings the books to me and tries to crawl into my lap with them for me to read.  Sometimes I try to get her to play with her toys but she'd rather look at her books.  And that's fine with me. :)

11.5 months

I just made a photo timeline for your birthday party.  I've hung it up in the dining room for the time being and I'm looking over the pictures from birth to just a few weeks ago.  It's amazing, even as a newborn you had a face with so much personality and you had that gorgeous head of hair.  And then in a flash I see how you grew into this little person, exploring the world, always on the move.  Yesterday when I was changing your diaper I was thinking about how fragile you used to be, how I used to analyze and worry about everything.  I guess I still kind of do that.  But not about the color of your poop or a little dirt in your mouth.  It's nice that you are so durable now.  :) 

Oh yeah, and a little milestone from last week was that you will spend several minutes at a time putting your bows into a little medicine box and taking them back out.  You were focused and had the fine motor skills to put them in and take them out.  It was really cool for me to watch.

 

You also love to brush your teeth while I brush my teeth in the morning.

Aaaaaaaand unfortunately you've discovered toilet paper...and how much fun it is...to unroll.

Our new patio is finally done, in time for your first birthday party.  I've missed getting to be outside with you in the kiddie pool. 

Aunt Chrissy was here last week to visit you.  We had so much fun.  I didn't want her to leave.  Maybe someday she will move up to KC to be closer to us and then she can come over and play all the time!  We went to the Spray Park and to the pool, we worked on painting frames for your party and played around the house.

 you're new favorite thing to do:

We took Aunt Chrissy to First Fridays and cooled off in Union Station, where you were a little slap happy from being tired and hot.

Then on Saturday we went to Emerson's birthday party.  You loved the car ramp and kept crawling up and down it.

sweet 2 year old Emerson