Seven Months

Again with the late monthly post. I all but guarantee, the 8 month one will be on time because then I will have one less major responsibility! Month seven brought on some major milestones! We did not have a well check at seven months, but I estimate Quinn is between 17 and 17.5 pounds and probably 27.5ish inches. The beginning of May brought on your two top teeth, further proving your sleep has been off and on for weeks now due to teething. I will say this month was better than last.

You continue to LOVE standing and will scream and yell at us until we stand you up. Recently you have taken it one step further and just want us to help you walk around the house all day. You are still quite vocal. Last month you would hold on to the couch or something to stand by yourself, this month you have learned how to pull yourself up, especially in the bathtub since it's low. Luckily most other things are too high for you to reach.

Waving

You discovered your Elmo toy this month and it is hilarious to watch you interact with him. You still enjoy soccer and banging things together. Also new this month is waving at people, and especially yourself in mirrors. We are still working on getting you to wave at the right times. You also started clapping your hands. We have started to see a little bit of separation anxiety, but nothing too bad.

We took you on your first airplane trip to Boston and you did a great job traveling. You were a very good baby on both flights. We still consider ourselves very lucky with a happy and well behaved baby.

Eating solids has come a long way since last month. You have had many fruits and veggies and oatmeal. You have one meal with your babysitter around lunch and then I feed you oatmeal with fruits and veggies when we get home for the day. You typically prefer thicker food and not very pureed things. It is fun to watch you try things for the first time. As always we are so excited to see what the next month brings! We are so luck you are ours and love watching you grow each day!

One Hundred Days of Summer

For the past couple of summers I have seen different people participate in #onehundreddaysofsummer, taking a picture everyday for one hundred days, beginning on Memorial Day. I'm going to attempt it this year. I figure it will be a nice way to document our summer adventures. I plan to post them to my blog weekly, though I'm sure you'll get the occasional sneak peek on Facebook. So to kick things off...here is day one!

Day One: Walking along Braemar Trail, Memorial Day 2016, not immediately detectable two sick parents and one baby with six teeth as of this morning.

Friday Love

Eight years ago I moved to Northern Virginia because I got my first job as a school counselor. I hardly knew anyone in the area. I think I had one friend that lived here, no one else. Eight years ago, Dana Stevenson became one of my very first friends that I made here. We shared a tiny hallway in the back of the office at our school. Last Friday, Dana died. I was sad when Dana moved out of our hallway two years ago for a bigger, better office, one maybe about ten feet further from me...now I go to BES without her. It's still hard to comprehend. 

Dana was one of this world's brightest lights. If you knew Dana, you loved her. Everything about her was contagious. Her laughter, her smile, everything. She was a quick wit, always had wonderful advice, was incredibly generous, and always kept it real. No sugar coating. Her delivery was impeccable...perfect timing for everything be it funny or serious. We shared a love for cooking and food. The memories that I have of her over the last eight years are filled with pure joy. The Summer of Yes, nights out in Arlington, getting kicked out of Katerina's, talking about food, making cupcakes for a wedding, leap day birthdays, sharing students, and just everyday chit chats on the couch in my office are all things that will live in my heart forever. 

She will be missed deeply. We love you, Dana. 

Six Months

Quinn is six months old! Plus some...this post might be a little late :) We have been flying by the seat of our pants a little bit this last month. Life with two full-time jobs, a part-time job, a baby and all the other life responsibilities is tough, and when we do get some down time, the blog is not the first thing I want to tackle. Usually I fall asleep on the couch instead.

Anyway, back to the six month update. Quinn is getting so big. At her six month well check she was 16 pounds (50th percentile) and 26.75 inches (just about 90th percentile). Sleep has still been a bit of a struggle this month, but things are starting to turn a corner - I hope I didn't just jinx myself. We are still experimenting with giving you solids, learning what you like, and when to feed them to you.

Last month you were just beginning to sit, but now sit very well independently. You still love standing and you can stand holding on to things by yourself for a few seconds at a time. Instead of using your legs and feet to push forward, you have been using them to turn yourself in circles. You also like to be scared. At first you get startled, but then you laugh hysterically. Your babbling is beginning to sound more like real words, and you love chatting it up with people.

We celebrated Easter in Pittsburgh...it was quite a trip. Your dad got the flu and the two of us decided to make the trip at the very last minute. You were so good in the car! We continue to be so blessed with such a well behaved baby. You are happy and funny, and have begun to like to give hugs.

You are still happy going with your babysitter each day and you love playing and reading before bed with both your mom and dad. This past month we started "playing soccer" and you love it. You are also enjoying your exersaucer, stacking cups, and anything you can put in your mouth. This month has already brought big changes (more on those in the hopefully timely seven months post) and we look forward to everything else as you continue to grow!