Happy Birthday, Quinn!

 One week ago was our little boy's first birthday!  We had a small, safari-themed party at the house.  Quinn unfortunately did not nap well before the party and was a bit cranky, enough to earn a nap during the party!  We still had a great time with family and friends.   Unfortunately,  I can't get the video of his first taste of cake to upload.

The beautiful cake made by Babcia and Grandpa

The birthday boy with his cousins

A few days later, Quinn went to the doctor for his one year check-up.  He now weighs 20 lbs, 7 oz, and is 30 1/4" long.  Adjusted for his prematurity, he is in the 50th percentile for weight, and 90th percentile for height (go figure).  If you don't adjust, it's 25 and 75 percent, respectively.  Guess he's catching up!

Black Friday had a different meaning for us this year...the day Quinn finally learned to crawl.  Look out world (and especially Mr. Bojangles), he's on the move!

Thanks to his Nonna and Grandad (and thanks to Ben for tuning up my bike), Quinn is now able to go for bike rides.  Here are some pictures of his very first ride:

 

And here is our Halloween penguin:

The long-overdue swimming post

For the past 4 weeks, Quinn has been taking swimming lessons each Friday.  I look forward to it every week!  He is the youngest one in the class, and doesn't really understand what's going on, but I think he is still learning a lot, and having fun.

Getting ready to get in

Trying to blow bubbles with Miss Jen

The water tastes good!

Splashing!

Happy little swimmer

Swimming to "safety"

Learning how to climb out of the pool

 Here's a video of the poor kid getting water up his nose:

The wheels on the bus:

Quinn going under:

Nine Months Old

We've had a busy summer of travel.  First, we went to Tennessee to visit family.  We had an enjoyable time, and Quinn got to spend time with his grandparents:

I think they like him. 

Quinn also got to sit with his dad in another 100 year old rocking chair:

We then went to Michigan for our annual trip with friends.  Quinn got to go on his first boat ride:

Unfortunately, we have no pictures of fish.

Quinn visited the doctor this week for his 9 month check up.  He weighs 17 lbs, 8 oz, and is 26 1/2 inches long.  He is trying desperately to crawl, but can't figure out what to do with his arms.  He is eating some soft solids, but he's not really fond of the way they feel in his mouth.  We are looking forward to spending more time together in September, when I start working part time!

More "Firsts"

When you have a kid, "firsts" are important and fun.  After the crazy storm that came through our area on Friday, my place of employment had no power for the past two work days.  So I've been able to spend a lot of quality time with Quinn, which has been awesome.  He made his first drawing:

He held the pen, and I held the paper underneath his hand.  I think it's pretty good for a 7 month old. He also wrote on his leg.

He tried a sippy cup for the first time:

He doesn't understand the concept yet.

He wore his great grandfather's hat:

And rocked in the rocking chair that has been in the family for 100 years:

Love that boy!

Father's Day

So I'm a little late posting this blog.  I'm not the most consistent person when it comes to writing.  I enjoy writing, but I can't tell you how many journals I've started that have only about 4 or 5 entries in them.  I actually feel like I'm doing quite well with this blog.

This past Sunday was Father's Day.  Quinn and I made my hubby breakfast.  OK, so Quinn sat in the Bumbo in the kitchen and played while I made breakfast.  Quinn also "made" a footprint at daycare, with the following poem:

"Walk a little slower, please,

My feet are still small.

I'm following in your footsteps

and I don't want to fall.

Sometimes your steps are fast,

and they are hard to see.

So walk a little slower, please,

for you are leading me."

--Author unknown 

Before we had Quinn, I knew that when I had a child, I would love that child very much.   And of course, I do.  What I didn't know was that I would love my husband more as well.  Why?  I now see more dimensions to him.  Things I'd never noticed before, that having a child brought out in him.  Happy first father's day, my love.

Six month visit

Last week Quinn went to the doctor for his 6 month check up.  He now weighs 15 lbs, 2 oz, and is 25 1/2 inches long.  He is slowly creeping up closer to "average" for both height and weight (he went from the 5th percentile to the 10th).  He seems to do new things each day.  This weekend he rolled from his back to his side, and also transferred a toy from one hand to the other.  Oh, and here's proof that he can grab his feet:

It is so much fun to watch him learn and grow!

Happy Mother's Day!

My very first "Mother's Day."  I'm really glad I get to be a mom 365 days a year.  I'm sure there will be days when I don't feel that way, but right now, even though it's a lot of hard work and a lot of lost sleep, I am enjoying every minute.  A year ago, I was sitting in church crying tears of joy because I had just found out that week that God had blessed us with a life growing within me.  And now I am blessed by Quinn every day.  How can you not smile when you get to hear this on a daily basis?

I love the look he gives at the end, as if to say, "hey, why aren't you answering me?"  I love listening to him talk.  It makes me laugh, and he laughs back at me.  Happy mother's day, everyone!

Quinn learns a new trick!

 

It may not seem exciting to you, but it sure is to me (and to him, too, I think)!

5 months old

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted.  We are in the midst of a busy month of visitors and travel, which has been a lot of fun, but tiring.  Quinn is 5 months old today.  He can now roll over from his stomach to his back, and is getting close to rolling from his back to his stomach.  He "talks" quite a bit, as you can see from the video. 

I have been thinking today about how blessed we are by God to have Quinn, and the many other blessings we have in our lives.  We are so undeserving, yet God richly blesses us because He loves us so much.  I have a bit better perspective on how God loves us, His children, now that I have a child of my own.  It really is a different, awesome kind of love.  It is fierce!  Again, I am blessed to know that kind of love.

Four Months Old!

Quinn turned 4 months old on March 17.  He had his 4 month check up today, and he weighs 13 lbs, and is 23 3/4 inches long.  He has hit the growth chart (5-10%) in both categories!!  He is still below the curve for head circumference, but the doctor said the head shouldn't grow too fast, so he's not concerned.  He got two shots today and an oral vaccine, and is now sacked out in his car seat.  He was not happy about the shots, but in general these days he is a very happy guy, as you can see in the video.  He coos and smiles all the time (except when you want him to, like when Skyping with family). 

Worth the wait

It's been awhile since I've posted, but I think these pictures are worth the wait!  Our little boy is growing so fast.  Our scale says he weighs 12.5 pounds and I measured him at 24 inches long.  He is now wearing 3-6 month clothes.  His next official weigh in at the doctor is about 3 weeks away.  He seems to be going through a growth spurt as he as been eating like crazy the past few days!  It is wonderful to watch him grow.  He looks so different from his little preemie picture at the top of the blog.

We finally had our condo fixed last week, and are getting back to "normal."  Nonna took wonderful care of Quinn while she was here for a month (not to mention helped us tremendously with the condo), and Babcia is now taking her turn.  Then it's off to daycare next month.  We have been blessed to find a wonderful Christian woman who has a daycare in her home.  It also looks like I may have the opportunity to work part time in the near future.  Please keep this in prayer!  God continues to bless us.  I'm so glad I trust Him!

Three months old!

Today Quinn is 3 months old.  Time sure does fly, and he seems to grow before my eyes.  I weighed him on our scale and it showed 10 lbs.  He also seems a lot taller, but I haven't gotten the tape measure out yet.  Still a month to go before our next doctor's appointment for official measurements. I put away his newborn clothes last week, and he's now in 0-3 month clothes, but he already looks like he will outgrow them in a few weeks!

I went back to work a week ago, and it already seems that we're on a pretty good schedule.  He sleeps well at night, waking up once to eat, but then he goes right back to sleep.  The longest stretch he's done at once is 7 hours, but he usually sleeps 5-6 hours.  I am feeling better about going back to work, though it was very hard the first few days.  I am trying to focus on the fact that I am providing for him by working, even though I'm not with him all day.  I am still praying for a different opportunity that will allow me to spend more time with him (and hopefully get us out of this water-logged condo).

Bumbo

When I wrote the title to this post, I put an "i" where the "u" should be.  Glad I caught that typo!  Quinn can now hold his head up while in the Bumbo seat.  We tried a couple of weeks ago, and his head just flopped to the side.  But now he seems to really like it!

We are still waiting to have the repairs done on our condo after the flood.  We plan to move back in before the repairs are made, as soon as we get a "no mold" report, which will hopefully be tomorrow.  We have much to do to get the condo in living order! 

For my adoring fans...

Here is a video of me to tide over my fans until mom and dad can clean up from the flood in our condo!
Love,
Quinn

2 month check up

Weight:  7 lbs, 15.5 oz
Height:  20"

One more month...

In exactly one month, I'll be going back to work full time.  I am cutting my hours to 36, and will work four 9-hour days.  I really wish I didn't have to go back to work, but our current situation dictates that I do.  I also wish I could only work part-time, but at my current job, that is not an option.  There are a lot of factors involved in why I don't want to switch jobs, but I'm still going to keep my options open.  It would be great if we could move to a more inexpensive location, but our home value has dropped so much that we feel stuck here at the moment.

I feel blessed that our moms will be coming to look after him for a few months when I first go back to work.  I know they will take great care of him.  But I am anxious about sending him to daycare after that.  Will he get the attention he needs?  Will they treat him well?  I am praying that a great daycare situation falls into our laps. 

I always thought that I would be bored at home looking after a child, and that I would want to work.  Now that I have a child, I no longer feel that way.  It's not that I mind working, it's just that I'd rather spend the time with Quinn, and there is so much to do at home to keep me busy enough (particularly now since we don't yet have the nursery ready, but it seems like all I do at the moment is feed him, or pump--which is what I'm doing as I type this).

I know that ultimately God has a plan and will work everything out, and I need to trust that. 

Happy Adjusted Birthday, Quinn!

Today was Quinn's original due date.  My sister-in-law said that it is strange to think about this, because it feels like he's been around forever.  And it does feel that way!  I kept the pregnancy ticker up on the blog just as a reminder, and to see what would happen, and it was kind of anticlimactic.  I think there are tickers to keep up with your child's age--perhaps I will add one for his real age and one for his adjusted age.  The books I've read say that you should go by his adjusted age when looking at milestones, height, and weight.  I've also read that preemies generally don't catch up until they are 2 or 3 years old, but I have a feeling that Quinn will catch up more quickly.  He doesn't have his next official weigh in until January 19, but I weighed him on our scale yesterday, and it showed 7 lbs.  Of course this isn't extremely accurate, but at least it gives us an idea.

This past week, Quinn got to meet more grandparents!