9/24-9/30
we had susan, ro and gryph over for bread-baking lessons. Mmm. Gryphon is so sweet with Quinn, gives him hugs and kisses. Gryph also appears to like me- calls me “Mawy” and asked to sit on my lap when Quinn was napping in the other room. Ro just turned one and is starting to walk, and LOVES guitars. He is actually smaller than Quinn but more mobile. They seemed interested in each other.
We did our lab time this week (Quinn is getting to be very knowledgeable in DNA research, i must say). Sometimes Quinn likes to eat a little “lunch” on work days now- a little apple or banana while mom is eating. He has sat in a high chair now at the lunch place and seems very proud to be sitting up so well! (He hardly ever falls backward anymore if he is sitting on the floor playing. Yay!) he is also starting to use his new sippy cup (phew! He likes it. Since he never took to a bottle this could be mom’s key to a yoga class… someday.) he still doesn’t drink much water (doesn’t need to- 15 soaking wet diapers a day is plenty!) but it is a novelty for him (read: good thing to do when bored.) we got him a stainless steel sippy because of all the news lately about toxins in the plastics used to make bottles and sippies.
Last but definitely not least… Quinn’s first official word: Mom-mom! (that’s me!) for at least a month he has been using the consonant “m” but recently (and it is hard to pinpoint when) it is clear that he is using it associated with me, usually when he needs to nurse or get his diaper changed. It is almost always spoken in a tone of voice suggesting “i need you desperately and immediately!” hehe. I can’t describe how amazing it is to hear him call me mom-mom.
10/1-10/7
we’ve been watching Quinn’s expressions change and mature- for a kid as expressive as he has always been, it’s amazing to see still more new things he can do with his features. He uses so many parts of his face- eyebrows, eyes, mouth, etc. he now uses his tongue more and more. For blowing raspberries, among other things. He licked my face once. (i try to keep him from licking the floor!)
we think he is starting to say da-da now- it is not as clear as his mom-mom (meaning he doesn’t always seem to desperately need dada when he says it) but it seems he is building an association there. His use of consonants goes up all the time- i’ve heard T, V, Z, S, St, and P and i’m sure i’ve left some out. (G, M, B and D have been around for a while now.)
we saw Deirdre and Eavan again, and it was super fun for the kids to see each other again now that they are much more active. We also went to Susan’s house for one afternoon and Quinn seems to really think Gryph and Ro are his new brothers- they all wiggled on the floor together playing with Thomas trains. Quinn’s new food this week was homemade bread! (Whole wheat flour and molasses… he grabbed it before I could disagree!)
10/8-10/14
Quinn caught his first cold (age 7.5 months- not bad!) we had one bad night where I was awake for most of the night because he had trouble laying down and especially nursing (too congested). His little nose let him sleep upright in the sling, luckily, so he was still somewhat rested the next day. Then he and i napped a lot that day and got a GREAT night’s sleep the following night (Quinn 14 hours, me 11 hours, with a few feedings of course.) I managed to avoid the cold for the most part, thanks to vitamins and echinacea, but dada got it pretty badly and took a day off of work to recover. That was nice because by afternoon he felt much better so he hung out with Quinn a bit.
We went to the zoo on thursday with Susan and company. This time Quinn’s favorite was the cheetah because it was asleep right next to the plexiglass and he could see that it was just like Mr. Kitty (the kitty formerly known as baby kitty). He said “T!” to me, which I think is his way of saying “cat” at the moment. That day was Grammy’s birthday, and we managed to get her present to her on the exact date (purple hyacinth bulbs for her garden) which is a first.
Quinn is trying some new foods bit by bit, usually when he grabs them. He had some quinoa that Susan made, and has been really enjoying bread. He has been practicing his singing (higher pitched and usually the lyrics are da-da-da-da… maybe because dada puts music on and dances around the living room with him more often than I do.)
On Saturday Quinn went for a car ride with just Dad, to go pick up some firewood. He demolished a banana in his carseat on the way home. I stayed home and finished sewing his new carrier. It is designed like the Ergo but slightly bigger, with a heftier hip belt… and it didn’t cost $95 because I used old jeans to make it! It seems very comfy for Quinn and it helps put his 24 pounds of weight more on my hips than my shoulders!
Quinn laughs hysterically when he watches dada chopping firewood. We’re not entirely sure why….
10/15-10/21
Quinn is doing amazing things right now. Trying his first spices (curry potatoes from Mommy’s dinner! Yum!); crawling between rooms (still in army crawl style but very efficient); putting cat food in his mouth (I hear they all do this; luckily the cat BOX is inaccessible to him.)
He is saying “words” with two consonants in them now. If i had time to look at a book, I’m sure there is a technical term for that. Bop! Det! Vem! Are some that we have heard. He continues to use his sing-song voice and it is so charming.
On Friday he started waving hello! One day he didn’t know how, the next, every five minutes. He did it all day with me, then showed off for dad when he came home from work. He even has said things very closely resembling “hi!” while he waves. Often he puts up his whole hand, then while it’s up there, he curls all but his index finger. (You’re number one, Quinn!)
10/22-10/23 8 MONTHS!
Not too much partying went on for the eight month birthday, but there was some guitar playing and a lot more waving going on. The birthday itself was a lab day for Quinn and I, and he took his new skills on the road. He tested out waving at people on the bus, which sometimes worked (whoa, it’s not just mom and dad then?) he also waved at Deb (my boss/mentor) and other lab mates throughout the day.
Quinn weighs in the neighborhood of 26 or 27 pounds (we finally got a cheap scale because he doesn’t fit on the veggie scale now; it is not very accurate.) I am now carrying Quinn in his new carrier and while I am sad that the Ellaroo will not really hold him anymore, it sure gave us 8 awesome months of use EVERY DAY for hours on end…
I’m feeling really blessed these days to be Quinn’s mama!
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