This kid is FINALLY back at school after SIX snow days in a row right as Winter Break was ending. It was nuts. He's getting back into the swing of things and so glad for it. 

He and Lucy weathered the 24-hour tummy bug right before school let out for Christmas. But since then he's been healthy as a horse. Knock on wood. 

He's been super into drawing his own comics, talking all of our ears off, and reading the Bone graphic novels lent to him by a coworker of Joe's. Joe and Noah--- both reading graphic novels lately..... So crazy.

 

Lulu-Bell-- well she is currently under the weather. The above photo is from yesterday and is basically what she's done for two days straight. Doc says it's just a cold, but man... she is dragging. He nose is a faucet and her appetite is down and she's just pretty pitiful. 

She also had that tummy bug with Noah last month, and it freaked her out, poor thing, to start retching and not know what was happening. 

When she's not under the weather, she is talking more and more and more, and her words are so well-said and cute. She angles for treats and cookies and "balls of yum" (peanut M&Ms, haha) as much as she can, and adores milk and carrying around at least 3 toys at a time. She's as darling as she looks in her photos--- I wish all of you could get an hour with Lucy at her peak cuteness. It's amazing. 

 

And this goopy baby is just coming OUT of his sickness from last week--- coughing and letting out prodigious amounts of snot.... And after 4 days of fever, we finally took him in, to find out he had STREP. Poor baby!!!! But as it always seems with strep, just two doses into his antibiotics schedule, he was feeling nearly 100% better. He had barely ANY snot today, so I think we're in the clear for a while with him. 

Meanwhile, he is just as curious and trouble-seeking as my last post talked about. Just exhausting to keep track of all the time, but guaranteed to be in some kind of pickle if he's not kept track of. Just today, every time he got to the stairs to try to climb them, he'd laugh  in glee and barrel up the stairs, getting at least 2 done before I could scoop him up. And every time I scooped him up, he'd laugh some more. Like it was the BEST game. No, Quinn--- NOT the best game. ACK. 

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And as for me, I've been trying to keep my big camera out and available more this month... and it's been working. The above three pics are from three different days, all just random shots during our days. Nothing super rare or spectacular about the images I'm capturing... but it feels good to be doing it.

I'm continuing to fight the edgy post-holiday cold winter blahs over here. Lots of okay and good times, but also more grumpy or trapped or crabby moments than I'd like. I'm not sure what the fix is.... beyond just waiting it out.... 

It's a lot of repetition right now.... the routines and cycles of tidying, cleaning, nap schedules, laundry, work, etc. A lot of the same 5 comfy outfits getting worn. A lot of comfort eats just to change up the everydayness of the everyday.... a lot of restlessness....

But also a lot of just watching my kids be themselves... admiring things they do or say, or basking in the smiles they give or the cute tricks they learn... 

And a lot of going to Joe to be hugged or held. It's one of my favorite comforts right now.... long, EXHALE hugs with my sweetheart... who just GETS it.

Lots of Disney cartoons--- we got a slew of them for Christmas. Lots of Frozen on iTunes (thanks, Mel!).... Lots of little "post-holiday" cleaning projects, just trying to get some order back one corner at a time.... Lots of diaper changes. Medicines administered. Chapstick put on. Lots of wiping the same ook off of the same high chair three times a day. Lots of trying to get up the energy to put together yet another meal.

A little bit of wishing: wishing I was still that crafty girl from two years ago. Wishing I had already saved up for our summer vacation and for a new camera. Wishing for just one day a week alone. Wishing for 68 degree days. Wishing for no middle-of-the-night wake-ups from sick kids. 

And so yeah... That is us. Oh-- and Joe: he's back in the routine, too. Back to work at UMSL after a week break for the holidays (so great!)... Back to waking up early and helping Noah get ready for school. Back to coming home ready to take a kid off of my hands and help where he can. He's in some pretty solid routines of his own. I don't think he gets as itchy as I do from it all. He's a homebody and is easily content. I love that about him. And those hugs--- yeah. I really love those hugs these days. 

Okay, for real now, that is us. Not exciting in the LEAST. But hey. Whatever. I think only 5 of you still read along anyway. Who am I gonna try to impress? Right? :)

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Hey! Comment if you're above and beyond my 5 readers and tell me what kinds of posts you want to see from me. I am trying to blog once a week for SURE, and I'd love some suggestions. No, really. I would LOVE the homework. Give me some focus for the next couple of months!!

Winter Whining....

Oof. Is it 2014 yet? No, really. Is it? Because with the snow and the utter HALT on life that the STL area has been in, I swear time has been standing still since December 31. Noah was due back to school last Thursday, on the 2nd, and has have FIVE SNOW DAYS in a row. It's been a week of hunkering down, pajama-wearing, restless-boredom-snacking, cartoon-watching, mess-making/mess-tidying, online commiserating, to-do-list chipping away at, slowly-losing-our-minds-and-ALL-motivation BLAH-NESS.

It's been good. And bad. And fun. And boring. And I am SO OVER IT. I love the idea of snow days and family togetherness.... and perhaps we'll hit a time in our family's life where we can really rock this idea.... but currently, we're just not in a place where "lazy" can happen in that cozy, marvelous way we dream of when we dream of snow days. There's simply too much neediness going on 'round these parts. Because for now, our family consists of:

1.  a very conversational oldest child 6-year-old who needs a parent to facilitate all of his really clever ideas and be his playmate. This kid got WAY too much of our time and undivided attention for way too long before Lucy came around, and it shows. 

2. a very possessive and persistent 2-year-old who LOATHES that Quinn is mobile and getting all up in her stuff, and who insists on handing us everything she is done with, even if our hands are full and we are knee-deep in some mess or other. This one can be so good for such long stretches, then whip out some PRIME TERRIBLE TWO-NESS just to keep us guessing. 

3. a holy terror of a pre-toddler who has discovered EVERYTHING he shouldn't do, and beelines to each of them in turn all day long. I swear you cannot take your EYES off of this one for even 12 seconds, or you'll find him in the cat food/unrolling toilet paper/chasing the cat up the stairs/exploring the fire in the fireplace/emptying a trash can/etc.. This baby is a gale force storm. And to top it off, he's gotten sick the last two days and is draining so much snot I swear he has to have lost 3 pounds of mucus-weight. And his fever keeps us trapped in this house even longer, on days when we might have finally ventured out to escape the cabin fever. 

I think I've forgotten how to brush my hair. 

I KNOW I've forgotten how to wear real clothes. 

I don't think I have anything left to give to adult conversations. 

And I've reached that really awkward place where I've been trapped and stuck long enough, itching for CHANGE, that now that change is on the horizon and I can maybe start 2014 afresh tomorrow, I'm too worn down to make any moves. I don't even care anymore. Maybe I'll wear yoga pants and watch Disney cartoons until April. 

Yeah-- it's that bad 'round here. 

So. Here's to you fellow winter-trapped mamas and homebodies. Those of you who thought you wanted more time at home, more time with your kids, more comfy clothing, more routine to your days..... 

I thought I wanted all that too. 

Now though---- all I want is a good cry, a giant Hogwarts-style bathtub (you know which one I mean), a haircut, and a babysitter for 5 days so I can shake off the sludgy, grudgey, ucky, mucky winter blah feeling and get turbo-charged to re-start 2014 and get the gears moving again. 

Ya feel me?

But it's not looking promising.

Blink And Eleven Months Have Gone By...

 

At eleven months old, our Quinn:
 

• Moved from a strong elbow/knee army crawl to a full-on Noah-Butt-Scoot, and has not looked back. He only uses this funky loping mode of mobility to get around now. 
• Sleeps through the night about 90% of the time. The other 10% of the time, he only needs a binkie or a lovey given back to him and he is back asleep. 
• Weaned himself from breastfeeding and is a happy, thriving bottle baby with a penchant for table food and illicit treats. And cat food. 
• Popped in his two front teeth, and they are growing in nice and bucky and strong. 
• Has figured out the skill of going up stairs, much to his parents' chagrin. 
• Is drawn to ANYTHING that will get him in trouble, like toilets, stairs, cat food, trash cans, cords, open doors, etc. 
• Keeps us running like mad and cursing under our breaths. 
• Is still the happiest baby--- greeting the day with smiles and babbling exclamations of joy, smiling at anyone and anything, laughing at a moment's notice, and dancing and bopping all day long. 
• Has been fond of pooping in the tub. 
• Tries to "share" {toys, space, food, mom} with Lucy, resulting in a VERY upset sister with VERY shrill whines and screams. He has better results with Noah, who is way more mature and willing to compromise. 
• Pulls up to cruise EVERYWHERE. Favorite spot is the kitchen, using all cupboard and drawers to hold onto and move around. Second favorite spot is mine of Dad's pant legs. 
• Is a full-fledged binkie baby now, and we all love it. No regrets. 
• Has learned to wave "bye bye" at about a 45% success rate. 
• Is a monster, a delight, exhausting, brilliant, messy, handsome, lovable, and wonderful. 

 

Following: Lucy wanted in on the photo action. But really, what it turned out she wanted in on was the "turning and pounding on the paper backdrop to make a loud  rustly sound" that Quinn had just discovered. So yeah... these are the shots I got of that, since neither of them seemed inclined to actually stay in "posing for mom" mode. (Lucy's glance at me, shown below, was not something she did on purpose and only lasted  .04 seconds and only managed to be photographed because of my lightning-fast Lucy-Photo-Taking reflexes I've had to hone over the last 2 years.)

The girl just WILL NOT look at my camera. On purpose. 

And this baby just wanted my backdrop for his toy. Oh well.

And listen-- as per usual this last year with Quinn, this post is over two weeks late, and he is closer to the 12 month mark than he is to that 11-month milestone we passed.... So stay tuned. It is now January, and somehow, in two weeks it will be the one-year anniversary of this baby being born. This Quinn-baby I feel like I JUST had.

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Quinn at 9 & 10 months.  8 months. 7 months. 6 months. 

Quinn at 4 months. (5 months didn't happen.)
 at 3 months. 
at 2 and 1 months.  
newborn.

original idea for these monthly photos

Lucy's version of these monthly photos