7/24
Quinn managed to stay awake long enough to make it to the beach. We shared a burrito on the walk there- I hate to not sit down for dinner, but most evenings we then have to choose one or the other- dinner OR beach. Too hard a decision, so we eat and walk sometimes, unfortunately. Great beach weather- the wind was just dying down when we arrived. I watched Quinn study the way the sand can’t be grabbed, the way it trickles through your finger more quickly the harder you try to hold on.
His word of the day: bum-bee (variation of bumblebee). He said it and pointed to a helicopter that flew overhead. 🙂
7/25
don’t feel like writing much tonight- kind of sad about so many setbacks with getting Quinn’s visits set up with jim. Also, there was another party at Scott Baker’s house and while they are fun, it is a reminder that I am not currently working on whales… but that can be temporary, and salmon are way cool in the meantime. Quinn fell asleep in the sling after hanging out with the dogs at scott’s house.
7/26
Quinn’s word of the day today was “happy” which was exactly what mama needed to hear! 🙂 we met trina and noah at the farmers market, then went to south beach (and had no car trouble! Yay!) quinn and noah worked on sharing quinn’s beach car (the one jim found on the beach) and they both walked and ran around a lot. Quinn took a cat nap in the car coming home from the beach, so his real nap didn’t happen until 3 and bedtime not until 9:30. that was fine because we got a lot of cleaning done- my landlord gave me a vacuum cleaner, and happily, it does not scare quinn. In fact, he was fascinated and “helped” me push it around. He colored, played a lot with his dollhouse. At one point he came and got a bottle out of the drawer in the kitchen, and I asked if he’d like to feed some milk to his monkey. His eyes lit up, so I got his monkey and he “fed” otto the bottle. It was very sweet, he was cuddling and kissing otto. Then he decided otto needed some real milk and pulled up my shirt and put otto on the breast! This was hilarious and then of course quinn wanted to share some milk, too. He sat on the couch alternately feeding monkey and bear for a while after that. Definitely a priceless memory.
7/27
rainy morning. We ended up outside quite a bit later on, though. After quinn’s nap we walked (he walked about a block, then rode in the sling) to the library and got a library card. They have a fabulous children’s section, it was hard to choose just two books. They have a train track table, and lots of puzzles and a dollhouse. It was great, I could really inspect the books and pick two I really wanted while he played. I have heard there is an amazing storyteller but I’m always at work at the times she reads. 🙁 someday on a vacation week… after we left the library we walked down to the beach (we were already on the west side of 101) and back down the beach towards our usual route home. Quinn eventually wanted “dowm” so I let him run around (he is getting very surefooted on the sand) and eventually he decided to go towards the water. I managed to get his moccasins off, but he was pretty into going out to meet the waves (didn’t believe me that they’d come meet him) so he got his pants all wet up to the knees. He was in his glory, little water boy. It was hard to convince him to leave the water’s edge but eventually he got hungry and signed “food” so I stripped off his pants, put him in the sling and hiked home, yertle the turtle and dinosaur roar tucked under my arm, soggy sweatpants in the other hand, sandy moccasins in my back pocket.
Word of the day: apple. Quinn walked laps around the couch while I sat and read him yertle the turtle. He also put bunch of the dollhouse people in his bottle.
7/29
last night I didn’t get a chance to write because quinn napped coming home from the beach and until 8:30 (but nursed the whole time) then stayed up with me until 10:45. the beach was glorious (I’m glad we went; today we have downpours!) and we played lots when we came home which lately is kind of rare. (so yay for late bedtimes! Once in a while… 🙂) tonight he is in bed at 7:45, probably for the night. We had a fun evening, eating lots of food, coloring, and taking a bath. (after coloring his face blue and a poop diaper it seemed to make sense not to just “spot clean”.) he did not want to read a book or comb his hair after the bath, just go directly to sleep. So that is what we did. (his hair doesn’t need to be combed out every time it gets washed, right?)
8/2
Wednesday (7/30) quinn came home from daycare and fell immediately asleep at 5:30. at 9PM he woke up with a fever, and was back out by 9:30 for the night. In the morning, his temp was 101.7 so I stayed home from work. He slept the better part of the day, needing me right there for the most part, but having trouble nursing due to his nose being stuffed up. He only had milk, water and a few raisins and blueberries all day Thursday, but he managed not to get dehydrated. He got up to 102.7 at one point. I gave him baths and did the wet sock treatment while he slept. (I also gave him infant ibuprofen- “dye free! Will not stain!” how about, “will not induce ADHD in your child!” as a selling point, instead, and while you’re at it, take out the high fructose corn syrup!) on Friday morning he was still out of it, but down to 99.1 so I went to work but got called 2 hours into the day saying he was back up to 102. poor baby. So I took another day off, and we had a little more fun.i put the futon into bed formation and loaded it with toys, books, sippy cup, and snacks, and we read just about every story in the sleeping bag, propped up on 8 pillows. His fever was down for quite a while in the afternoon, and he was playing normally, but went up and down some in the evening. I pushed him to the elementary school on his tricycle and we went on the swings together. He went to bed at 7, and I at 8, like the night before (hence no writing got done) this morning he felt normal again (99ish) but was very grumpy all morning. We went to the farmer’s market and he rode around in the sling and got much more calm and happy being outside (he had demanded “o-zide!” at 5 am and I took him for a sling walk then as well.) so… being halfway intelligent, I took him for a drive down the coast a little ways, in toward drift creek wilderness, and then we spent a couple hours at seal rock state park beach, where he napped on my lap for a while as I leaned on a log. The weather was gorgeous and I was glad to get to that beach- I have been there several times before, but not since the move. Up by drift creek I stopped the car to pick a handful of thimbleberries but Q wasn’t too interested (obviously berry boy is still not himself!) but when we got home he ate a good dinner and wanted still more milk after that. Yet another bath, then bedtime.
8/3
Sunday today- a walk to the beach, a walk to the fairgrounds to see the quilt show (Q liked the brightly colored ones, especially with animals or “balls” on them), a trip to the grocery store, a walk in the forest down the block… as we walked in the forest I found a bird’s egg shell on the ground, but then further on the path I found a nest! It has nobody left in it, and must have fallen out of the tree. It is so cool to me, I grew up where the nests are all made of straw, hay, baling twine. Here- moss! Lots of green, stringy moss- looks super comfy for baby birds!
After the grocery trip Quinn asked to play with the tea (in the box) and after a few minutes of trying to open it himself, asked for help. He pulled out a few of the packets and then brought one to me, waiting expectantly for me to tear it open. So I did, and thanked him, and put the tea bag in my cup, and handed him back the wrapper, which he often likes to play with, and he walked straight over to the sink, underneath which is the trash. Again he waited expectantly, until I opened it so he could throw away the wrapper… I have not been one to teach him about throwing things away, but as usual he has observed it all on his own!
8/4
oh the joys of being awake from midnight to 3am! (cranky, cranky baby boy- he wanted nothing to do with me or any of my offerings until around 2. we were in the garage doing “bum” and taking the tires off my bike. That seemed to cheer him up enough to want to try sleeping again.) had to leave work early because becky was too sick to keep watching the kids by 3:00. I struck out on one set of errands (Quinn in tow) but got the bike tires fixed (they have a cool play area at newport bike where Q played while we waited). Then immediately upon arriving home i locked the keys (car and house keys) in the car. no doors or tailgates or garage doors unlocked… so i broke in through the sewing room window (i had left it open a crack) while Quinn liberally watered the tomato plant. he ate lots of yogurt, and his hair ate a lot, too, so then we took a bath and he went nicely to sleep around 7:30, and slept peacefully until 9:30 and then didn’t even nurse to fall back to sleep again. (he does more of that all the time, without me ever really “trying” to make him do it.) ah, an evening to string a few lucid thoughts together before i C….R….A….S….H momentarily… so glad Quinn is on the mend now! i hate so much to have him hurting.
8/5-8/6
after a good night’s sleep, Quinn had a rough time going to daycare. he cried all the way there. mr. kitty followed us there, and seemed to snap him out of his crying spell, and i know he stopped crying when i left. after work, we had a good evening. he helped me in the kitchen, ate a lot of yogurt and a banana, read quite a few books. he asked to go to the beach at 8, and carried his bucket to the door, so we drove to the beach and played a little. he went to bed around 8:30 after i finally managed to coax him into a walk during one final tantrum to end the day… or so i thought it ended… then we were up from 1-3 AM…. tired mama! i decided to go with it, and act as if it was a normal time of day to be awake. turned on lights, emptied the dishwasher while QUinn played with the garlic press and whisk and other utensils. baked a batch of blueberry muffins. played with tools in the garage….
morning came too soon, and with another tantrum, we were off to daycare. mr. kitty came along again. this evening was mellow- more yogurt and banana, some couscous, cheese and blueberries. i have been noticing the little details that Quinn picks up. he helped me put the wash in the dryer yesterday, and when i opened the dryer door he immediately started pulling out the lint trap to empty it. then he takes wet clothes that i hand him and puts them in. he knows which key opens the mailbox…. from a keyring holding 4 keys. sometimes it stops me in my tracks it is so amazing how much he knows.
8/7
we went walking after a rough day (for mom) and happened upon a drum circle going on in the little round kiosk at the southern path down to nye beach. Quinn started bopping before the building was in view, and the sign said “open to the public” so we listened to a song. i was going to continue walking but Quinn pointed and leaned and asked for “dowm” so i went inside and listened for another song. then on the next two, we sat and played some of the drums and shakers that were provided for the “public” to use, and Quinn was just reveling. it was pretty cool to see him get so into it- he would play a while, then stop and just listen and SMILE. so beautiful.
8/8
we had a nice evening, (and for that matter, a much better morning both yesterday and today) nothing particularly noteworthy as far as activities, but in milestones, we have several new words to record. we went for a walk, and at one point Quinn got down and it was the first time i heard him saying “running” and he said it over and over again. later he repeated several things back to me: “sharp” which was my explanation why he was not allowed to play with the scissors he pointed to; “chicks”, “pepper”, “boats”, “pumpkins”, “shells”, and “pencils” all words in his “1,2,3” book (he repeated almost every page, up to 12, but puppies, fish etc are already in his repertoire.)
8/11
monday. Quinn got up with a few minutes to spare before going to becky’s, and it made for a smoother transition. he was very content today, no tantrums, and generally cheerful. i asked him if he was ready to go to becky’s and he said “be-ty!” he says so many new words all the time. today i noticed “cereal” and “pump” and i’m sure there were others because his brain seems to be growing incredibly fast! tonight i caught him reading his 1-2-3 book out loud to himself- pointing to the picture of a pepper “puh-app-oo!” (app-oo is apple and lots of fruits and veggies are a version of apple to him at the moment- buh-app-oo is blueberries.)
8/12
today quinn started saying “uh-oh!” by far one of the cutest words yet. i have mixed feelings about it- mostly good, and a little wistful/sentimental- he’s growing up! usually he says uh-oh in innocent situations, but then sometimes he’ll purposely, for example, drop a spoon full of oatmeal on the floor and cutely exclaim “uh-oh!” mischief.
along the same lines, he also has learned “mine” and this evening grabbed the 1-2-3 book out of my hands and informed me that it was his… again, those battling proud/wistful emotions for a mama. yay! he can assert himself! boo, he lives in a world where he has to assert himself… it’s all a part of the process.
and then he tells me after nursing, “nummy!” ok, he’s still my baby. 🙂
8/13
cereal = “sha-role!” which was quinn’s response to me asking if he wanted to come to the kitchen with me. (his cereal is 10-grain mush. i have not figured out what he so loves about it, but boy is it healthy!) he ate the better part of an avocado for dinner, odd, he hasn’t been all that interestsed in them lately. perhaps his current brain development (esp. language centers!) is driving his food preferences. avocado = brain food!
at bath time he “requested” me to sing rubber ducky. (he said “duck” while swaying back and forth with a big grin on his face.) how can anyone resist that?
then at 2 am…. (groan)… we were awake eating yogurt and raisins, reading the belly button book, and being generally awake in the middle of the night for two hours. methinks his brain development is also the culprit for his special sleeping habits of late, and i suppose i will live through the sleep deprivation. he said “pict” and pointed at the newspaper clipping i have of brendan on the fridge, then “bennen” when i told him it was uncle brendan. he also enjoyed identifying mark’s and matt’s “hats” in the “pict”. hats have always been a favorite of quinn’s.
8/14
word of the day (or should i say hour, it seems like every day 5 new words tumble out of his mouth!) “burp!” (giggle, giggle). we also talked about, and ate, a plum (i think he called it “plump” which makes sense as he has recently been saying “pump” a lot. i got a picture of him clapping for himself after putting some of his dollhouse people into the beds… this was, of course, during his wide awake hours of 8:30 to 11 pm (hey, at least it wasn’t 2 in the morning again!)
8/15
newport is the place to “beat the heat” according to local public broadcasting… apparently other parts of oregon are hitting 100 degrees while we maintain a very oceanic 55. i am glad it has not phased me at all- we still have sun. i don’t mind 55 if it is sunny!
tonight quinn settled down pretty independently. he eventually asked me to play trains with him, then piled all the cars into my lap and climbed aboard my lap himself to nurse and be carried to bed. i live for moments like those, and am so thankful our nursing relationship has been such a good one, and not hurt by any of the recent changes we have been through.
8/16
we had another round of night waking- this time from 4-5:30 am. luckily it’s saturday so we then slept in until 9:30! we lazily made our way to the farmers market, where quinn ran around barefoot in the grass, carrying a fresh peach in each hand, while i sat and enjoyed my coffee. then he settled in my lap and ate half a peach. at the beach later on we could hear, but not see, the surf from where we sat on the sand. it was too foggy to see even that far! quinn buried his feet and “found” them over and over again, exclaiming “feet!” or “foot!” each time. another new word for him is hands although that one is harder for him to say. he clasps his hands when he says it, so you know what he means. he has requested to wear his one lonely sandal a few times, and in the evening while we were putting it on he told me “sambal”. while reading “i am a mouse” he pointed at the pictures of butterflies “fa-fly!”
8/17
new words today… chair, paper, people, tickle (“te-tu!”). he “reads” the word “box” when we read green eggs and ham. in his lift-the-flap version he loves to open and close the box with the fox in it. at one point i asked him if he could help me by taking a pillow that was on the chair (we were in the dining room) and putting it on the couch- i watched him go pick it up and deliver it right through the kitchen, into the living room, and onto the couch! then later on he decided on his own to bring that pillow and another one back to the chair in the dining room. 🙂 crazy thunderstorms in the middle of the night!
8/18
Monday, monday. tonight quinn went to sleep at 7 but woke up again at 8. i put him in the sling and walked while i talked to susan on the phone, and he ended up just sitting on my lap quietly while we finished our conversation, and falling asleep on my lap at 10:30. it was very sweet.
8/19
tues. today when i picked Q up from daycare he told becky and trisha not just bye but “bye see you!” he helped me sew a grocery bag. we read a lot, and he said “airplane” when we read “the pigeon loves things that go”. rode my bike to work today finally!
8/20
i am going on a new theory that quinn needs a little more attachment from me again. i think his sleep patterns are mostly to do with his enormous new vocabulary, but possibly also the 18 month separation anxiety setting in. so tonight i put him in the sling for a half hour while i cleaned and took the trash out. then i took a bath with him after dinner, and sling-walked him to sleep (bundled in the raincoat). he already seems to be more soundly asleep, so we’ll see if it helps. we haven’t had as much of a babywearing routine on weekdays while it has been not so nice weather, so i am hoping for some nice beach weather soon for some longer walks again.
8/21
today was the first day that quinn said bye-bye to me when i dropped him off at daycare. he and robert are often the first two there in the morning and they share becky’s lap and cuddle, and when i set him on her lap he looked up and smiled and said “bye-bye!” after work grammy and grampy came with me to pick up quinn (they arrived mid-day) and he wasted no time “warming up” to them. he climbed right onto grammy’s lap and started handing her books to read, including a new one they had gotten for him, “the tallest tree”. the last page of “the tallest tree” has a counting exercise, and after grammy went through it, he would repeat the names of things being counted, and say “fee-foh-fee-foh-fee-foh!” (3-4-3-4-3-4!)
8/22
quinn went to daycare for most of the day so g and g could settle in and rest up after their long journey. g and g went over after naptime and played with him at daycare, and after robert left, he was ready to come home with them. when i got home he was stacking firewood with grampy. he said “hammer” and “pompom” today. he fell asleep at 7 but got up again at 8 and was up until after 10. he requested bubbles when i put him in the bathtub. then after a bath, he ran laps back and forth from kitchen to dining room, putting potatoes into a pan in one room as he took them out of a bag in the other.
8/23 18 MONTHS!
quinn said “thank you” for the first time today (that i recognized) and also did the sign for thank you! we went to the farmers market and got strawberries, peaches and lots of veggies (quinn carried the purple onion, and also said “onion” today). then we went to the beach (nye) and g and g got to see how good quinn is now at walking on the sand. he had a good time climbing up a dune, and eating grammy’s pretzels. later we went grocery shopping and got my bike fixed again. we also did some work around the house, played outside, and did some block-stacking. after another bath, he went to bed at 8.
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