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.

*

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