Spring Garden

 

 

 

 

This morning Quinn, Papa John and I went to a tomato and pepper sale put on by the county extension office. Unfortunately we got there a bit after 10 and the "more mature" gardeners had gotten there at 7 am and stood in line until the sale opened at 8:30. So....there was hardly anything left. I bought 3 tomato plants and some baby green eggplant seedlings. We were a little disapointed, but I did get some good literature on container vegetable gardening, so that was at least worthwhile. They have a huge demonstration garden at the office, and Quinn's eyes were so wide taking in all the plants and people. She examined my tomato plants very closely and tore off a few leaves for even closer inspection. I had to pry one out of her hand when we got back to the car. :) She put up a big fuss when we put her back in her carseat to leave the sale. That's my outside girl!!
Since we didn't get what we wanted, John took us to another nursery he knew of and Matt met us there, having finished his bikeride. We got some peppers and a couple more tomatoes. It was an awesome nursery with all sorts of tropical birds, turtles, and neat arcitecture all around the gardens. We put Quinn's carseat on one of the wagons and pulled her all around. She didn't mind the bumpy ride one bit! Now Matt and I have to get busy building my plant boxes so I can get them out of their plastic pots!

Pumpkin Soap

Every time Quinn is in her chair to eat she has to find the pumpkin soap dispenser I keep on the counter and knock it into the sink before she can focus on the food. She is obsessive about it!! Sometimes Matt gets desperate enough to keep her focus that he holds the pumpkin next to the bowl so she will stay facing forward to eat. I know it's February so my pumpkin soap is a little out of season....but it isn't gone yet. And I'm a little emotionally attached to it, too. When my mom came before Quinn was born we tried to walk like crazy, hoping I'd go into labor. But it was hot outside, so during the days we hit every mall and shopping facility within an hour drive. Mom bought me that little pumpkin on one of our shopping trips, and I have such good memories of that week that we tried, unsuccessfully, to get that Little Bean to come out. But we had a really good time waiting for her, so I am not too sad she was late. :)
Anyhow, here's the girl with her pumpkin soap.

The Box!!!

Quinn definitely knows her cereal box! Whenever she sees us get it down from the cabinet she gets sooo excited and reaches for it, kicking her feet. She loves to hold it in her arms and try to put the corners in her mouth. We've tried psyching her out by showing her other boxes, but she definitely knows "her" box! She hugs it and eats it for a few minutes then drops it on the floor. A few flakes of cereal always fall out, so Alie stays close so she can be allowed into the kitchen for clean-up duty. :)

Sitting Up

Quinn is still working on the sitting bit. Last night we were laying on our bed just chilling and she was using my arm behind her back as a little ramp to try and sit up. If you set her on the ground in a sitting position she does really well until she gets too excited. She'll give some little kicks or rock too much and over she goes. But she is getting better each day! Today I took her in the bath with me and it was so much easier than in the past because she can sit with only the tiniest support. So I can have two hands free for baby-washin'!

Here she is sitting on the living room rug--she looked up at me just a little too far and fell over.

Quinn got her first grass stains yesterday....we're so proud!

She always has a smile when Daddy gets home...

Quinn's first trip to the Zoo

Today was Quinn's first zoo trip. We rode with the Griffith crew down to meet some friends. We had the backseat of Jill's truck packed with babies, but all three fit. Quinn stayed awake so long and her eyes were wide the whole time. I don't know that she looked at any of the animals, but she was definitely people-watching and staring at the water in the Sea Lion tank and the monkey cages. She finally gave in and fell asleep about 45 minutes before we left. It was the perfect day for the zoo....warm and breezy and not too sunny, although it does appear that Q and I could use a little suntan. :) More pics HERE.

Taters...and Mama's water.

Today I watched a friend's little one, and while I was washing A's hands after we all finished lunch, Quinn got ahold of my water bottle. She amazes us with her reach sometimes. I will set something down thinking there's no way she will be able to get it....and she does. She has a bit of an obsession with waterbottles of any type. If she sees one she wants some water and grunts and has a fit till she gets some. She couldn't get this one figured out, though. You have to bite open the nozzle while you suck, and it was just a little too complex for Baby Girl.

In other news, today Quinn started eating potato. I cooked some red potatoes for her and purreed them in the Bella that Aunt Meg is loaning us (which is the most amazing invention EVER). Quinn liked those taters very much and gobbled them right up!!

Videos

I just uploaded some videos of Quinn eating her wheat bread, rolling on the floor, playing, reading with Daddy, and jumping in her Johnny Jump-up! Enjoy....
You should be able to start accessing them from HERE.

Sunny Sunday

It was so gorgeous outside today, so we spent our afternoon out in it! Quinn played in the grass on her blanky while I did some yardwork. The dog was rolling around in the grass like a wild thing, and then she'd shake to get all the grass off her coat, and Quinn would giggle, giggle, giggle. They did this little routine about 3 times. So cute! The cat, of course, wanted to share the blanket with Quinn, who in return wanted to pull Beaux's whiskers.
After tummytime on the quilt became old news, Quinn helped me mow the lawn in the backpack. She LOVED it! She sang and gibble-gabbled the whole time with wide eyes taking everything in!! We are all sniffling like crazy from being outside in the pollen, but it was worth it.....what a way to spend a Sunday....outside in the sun!

Saturday morning ride

This morning Matt, Joey and I did the Humble Lions Bike Ride. The boys rode the 55-miler and I rode 25. It was cold when we started out, so my new legwarmers came to great use, but it quickly warmed up and the weather was so perfect! Partly sunny so it wasn't too hot, but enough sun to be pretty. Ole Blue treated me great and I had a fun ride. The boys got a few sprinkles at the end of their ride, as a rainshower moved in...
Aunt Meg stayed over and watched Quinn this morning for us, which was a huge help. Matt and I came home and we all took a nice nap. Matt and I are both on mega benedryl from whatever pollen is making us crazy-allergic, so we were s-l-e-e-p-y. Baby girl is always sleepy in the afternoon. Anyhow, it was an enjoyable morning and here are some quick picks we shot with the p/s.

Twenty-two weeks

Quinn is 22 weeks old! I started making her some wheat toast this week for her to chew on. She has really wanted to gnaw away on everything, so I thought the toast would be good for her. I toast whole wheat bread and then put it in the microwave for 10 seconds, which makes it hard as a rock and perfect for baby girl to munch! She likes to get it all soggy and then suck the spit back out of it. Mmmm! She hasn't been eating her cereal and veggies as good this week for some reason. She has had several cranky days and Tuesday she had a runny nose and a bit of a fever.
She can now sit for about 30 seconds, and even up to 3 minutes if she doesn't get too distracted. The problem comes when she tries to look up at us and smile because she's so proud....that throws off her balance and she falls over!
She would be very happy if she could have her toes in her mouth 24/7.
On Wednesday we were outside and the cat sneezed and Quinn laughed so hard--she thought it was hilarious!
In other developments, she is enjoying playing with whatever toy we hang on her carseat, especially if it makes noise. She is still obsessed with the pumpkin soap dispenser in the kitchen. It's almost empty, but I think I am going to have to save it for her!! She is still sleeping pretty well. She either sleeps through the night or wakes up once, and Matt gives her the paci and she goes back to sleep. We can't complain!
Last night Daddy went hog hunting with Grandbob and they got a hog. That isn't really Quinn's accomplishment, but Matt's gone like 5 times with no hog, so it was an exciting event around here! Tomorrow Matt and I are doing a bike ride--50 for Matt and 26 for me, miles that is. Aunt Meg is staying over tonight to watch Quinn for us in the morning.
Here are some pictures of Quinn eating her toast:

Our little cowpoke!

I took some shots of Quinn in her Wyoming Cowboys hat and her yellow tutu. In our house all tutus have to be combined by a ballcap...sorry, but that's the rules. :) More---click HERE.

The real rainforest....

Quinn loves playing with her rainforest play gym. You can set it to make "rainforest noises" that sound like frogs and water dripping and other rainforesty sounds....last Friday, though, we had the real deal!! There was a big thunderstorm so we opened up the front door and I set Quinn in her carseat to watch the rain. She loved it and sat and watched for about 20 minutes!

Playin'

Catching up on some photos that have been piling up on my card....

She's a singing bean!

Quinn has started to love singing!! On Sunday at church we were singing "Shout Hallelujah!" and she did just that, very loudly!! It was so cute!! Sometimes I sing it in the car to her, too, and she will sing with me!!
Then today in the car I was listening to my new Pat Green cd that Matt got me. It has one of my all-time favorite PG songs on it, Carry On, as a remake. I was blaring it on the way home from the grocery store, and Quinn started "singing" along. Of course I was so proud! I tried to bias her by playing lots of Pat when I was pregnant, and I guess it worked!

Other than that, Quinn also finally figured out how to pull the little elephant toy that hangs from her carseat. When you pull it, it vibrates. She got mad in the car and accidently pulled it, and then surprised herself. For the rest of the car trips today I heard 'bbzzzzzzz, bzzzzz' over and over. What a genius baby, right??!! :)

Tonight at the gym when we went to pick her up from the nursery, one of the staff members was holding Quinn. I glanced at her initially and my first thought was, "That's not her, that baby is way too big to be Quinn." Nope, it was her alright!! My baby is getting so big!!!

We have had success with Quinn sleeping through the night without nursing these past few nights. Matt is just getting up when she fusses and popping her paci in her mouth and she falls right back to sleep, typically around 4 am. I get up and nurse her then sometime around 6. Fingers crossed she stays on this schedule, as I am going back to work in March and will need my sleep!! Our next step is to let her soothe herself when she wakes up.....we'll move on to that in the next week or so.

Valentines trip, in review

Last Wednesday we went with the kids from church to visit an assisted living facility. The kids passed out treats, Valentines and stickers to the residents, and went to each room for hugs and to distribute our goodies. Quinn wore her super cute Valentine monkey pjs from Aunt Meg and her strawberry hat. Here are some of the highlights from the comments we received:

-Oh, look at that big ole fat baby!
-(about 6 times) What's his name?
-(After I told a lady HER name was Quinn) Quinn sounds like a boy name to me.
-(After I told another lady HER name was Quinn) That's a strange name. Never heard of it.

I guess when you get old you can say whatever you want. :) Anyhow, the kids were a hit and I hope we brightened up some of the residents' day! Here is my favorite picture of Quinn and friends. Notice how Quinn is staring at S's shoes. I don't blame her, they were very shiny and beautiful!

More Valentine's Day outtakes...

We had a good Valentine's Day! Friday night we ate out with family at Cheeburger, Cheeburger, which is a YUMMY place. I forgot to bring any baby food, so Papa John and Daddy had to make a run to the grocery store for an avocado. Quinn spent that night at Mimi and PJ's so Matt and I could ride on Saturday morning. We had nice cool weather and got a good 25-miler in. Tonight I steamed some eggplant for Baby Girl. She couldn't wait to try it out, so we cheated a little bit and gave her a few bites. She thought it was very yummy! She has an obsession with this soap pump I have at the kitchen sink. It's a pumpkin one from Bath and Body Works that is still left over from Halloween. She can't focus on eating her food until she knocks it down into the sink...EVERY TIME SHE EATS. So whenever I go in the kitchen and Matt is feeding her, he has the pumpkin under his arm so Quinn can't get to it. :)
Quinn made it through a whole night at Mimi's without eating, so I decided she could do that at home, too. I'd been debating about whether she still needed the middle of the night feeding, and that convinced me. Last night when she fussed Matt got up and gave her a paci and she went right back to sleep and made it until 6am...we'll see if it works again tonight!!

 

Yummy piggies

 

I can never get a picture of Quinn eating her toes...and this one isn't fabulous because it's just taken with the P/S and way too close....but it's evidence!! She's chowing down on her foot!!

A few new things....

Matt steamed Quinn some zuccini so she started eating that yesterday. She likes it!!

This morning I put her on the floor in her bedroom with some toys while I took a shower. When I came to check on her after my shower, she had rolled clear across the room and was under the rocker! I have never seen her roll several times to get herself to a different place, so I was surprised!!

Quinn can not only take her paci out of her mouth, but can finally put it back in herself.

Today we went to the store and Quinn got a hold of my shopping list. I had to fish about 10 little soggy pieces out of her mouth. Yuck!! She also ate the corner of a bottle brush package and got a package of grapes opened.

Swinging Around

Yesterday it was so gorgeous!! Aunt Meg came over and we took Quinn and her friend Alivia to the park. We had so much fun swinging! Quinn loved it!

Quinn's favorite mode of transportation these days is the frame pack. She babbles and looks all around as we walk. The little red and white sunbonnet was mine when I was a baby!

Here is Quinn swinging:

5 Months

Yesterday our little bean turned 5 months old!!
She is a babble-head these days!! She talks all the time....when Matt reads her a story, when we are feeding her, in the car...it is so precious! She will talk back to us when we converse with her.
She has finally mastered her hands, after five months of appendage craziness! She will reach out and grab anything hanging in front of her. She also has an amazing reach. She can knock things over that I figured there was no way she'd get to.
She's still a good sport about Mama's hat obsession and leaves them on her head.
She knows when Daddy gets home from work every day and has a huge smile for him.
We call her our little bird when we feed her. She knows the next bite is coming, so she sits with her mouth open and waits for it. She has gotten so much better at eating! She also knows what is coming when we set her in her Bumbo seat on the counter. She kicks her feet and starts smacking her lips in anticipation. She also opens her mouth anytime we are eating something, especially if we're holding her in our lap while we eat. And if we are drinking something she also lets us know she wants some by making noises and smacking her lips.
She is entertaining herself much longer these days. Her favorite playtoys are the dog, her exersaucer, and anything of Mommy's that is made of something breakable.
She is sitting unsupported for little bits of time and then falls over. She'll be doing it on her own in no time.
Tonight we are going to try transitioning her to her own bed so Momma can get more sleep. We've had her in the pack and play in our bedroom because she is still waking up to nurse. However she is such a noisy sleeper and moans and fusses in her sleep and is constantly waking me up....so we've decided to move her to her own room and try that.
She is such a sweet baby and we are enjoying her so much!!
PS) thanks, MB, for the photo-editing help!

Yet MORE parties!

Saturday night was Mommy and Daddy's family birthday party. I entertained everyone by not only taking off my own sock, but eating it. Then I ate Mommy's tissue paper and stained my face, hands and new Valentine jammies red that Aunt Meg gave me. Luckily my parents are aces with the Oxyclean and got the red out. I played and played with Aunt Chel and wanted Aunt Lynda to hold me, so I put my arms out for her to take me. I have just started doing that! Unfortunately those parents of mine held out on the pizza and cake and only let me have boring ole green beans.