Sunday, August 28, 2016

100 Days of Summer, Week 13

I totally almost forgot my 100 days post! It's official. As of tomorrow school is in session. It will be a big day for everyone in our house tomorrow. Quinn starts daycare, like real daycare. I begin my 9th year at Bennett, and Matt starts a new class at Marymount. I already can't wait for the three day weekend. Keep us all in your prayers this week!

{Day 85:August 22}

The start of teacher work week. BES: Year 9.
{Day 86:August 23}

Snuggling her BFF
{Day 87:August 24}

Somie took Quinn to feed the fish and the ducks.

She fed herself. Typical.
{Day 88:August 25}

Hanging from the newly installed gate. Again, typical.
{Day 89:August 26}

EpiPen training.
{Day 90:August 27}

Weekend! Golfing in pajamas.
{Day 91:August 28}

I decided to make banana muffins instead of banana bread this morning. Excellent move!

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Ten Months!


Dear sweet Quinn is two whole hands! Quinn is so big and has a personality that grows bigger everyday. She is smart, stubborn, persistent, happy, curious, funny, and fearless. There is no well check for ten months, but I would estimate her at about 19 pounds. She hasn't popped any new teeth this month, but I can see swelling where her molars are starting to come in.



Quinn took her first trip to the beach this past month. She loved everything about it, especially swimming in the ocean and sitting at the edge of the water. She also enjoyed the sand. While we were at the beach she took her first few independent steps. And then she got her first bruise. Getting to the beach was not as much fun as being there. Traveling still proves to be an issue. She absolutely can't stand her car seat.


Our routine is still going strong. We have dropped to three milk feedings, three solid meals, and an afternoon snack most days. Quinn's ten month birthday coincided with my return to work (obviously why this post is late), so I am hoping she will make a nice transition to daycare (she will start at her new day care next week) and keep her routine, or at least find one similar. She is still taking a shorter morning nap, and a longer afternoon one. She goes to bed around 8 and wakes up usually around 6:30. She was having some trouble going down at night, but I am going to attribute that to traveling and being a little out of sorts and having to be retrained on bedtime procedures. Just the past few days she has done much better and been much happier when getting in the crib.


Current favorites include crawling, walking whenever possible, books, her golf clubs, balls, Elmo, plasitc shapes, and cups. She loves to watch other kids. She also likes to climb the stairs. She likes to copy and mimc people. She is also getting good at rolling a ball back and forth with someone. She likes to be chased, and to be sneaky, and to be 'caught' acting this way. She laughs hysterically about it. She's still chatting us up, but I do notice her speech changing. In addition to the one syllable repeats (mama, dada, etc.), she has like long strings of nonsense words. When she hears music she starts dancing and when she sees the camera come out she smiles for a picture. We are really having so much fun with her.



It's hard to believe at this time last year I was starting a school year preparing for maternity leave. It's truly been the fastest year of my life.


Sunday, August 21, 2016

100 Days of Summer, Week 12

Today was my last official day of summer...so sad. Tomorrow starts teacher work week, and the rest of the craziness that comes with two people working full-time jobs (plus a part-time one), raising a busy baby, and managing the rest of life. It's been so fun to be home with Quinn this summer. She has changed so much in seven or eight weeks we have been together. I am definitely lucky to get these bonus weeks. We have lots of changes in store the next couple of weeks and a big 10 month birthday tomorrow. 

{Day 78:August 15}

I was attempting to teach Q to use this snack cup and it went so well I decided to take it out and about the next day...when she proceeded to dump and eat all her Cheerios off the Bennett library floor...at least she was quiet during my meeting
{Day 79:August 16}

Because sometimes you just need to dry your hair.
{Day 80:August 17}

Parachute at Toddlin Time
{Day 81:August 18}

Taking one of our last trips to the pool
{Day 82:August 19}

Wild Friday night trying to find a baby gate to fit this...theres a lot of problems here. 
{Day 83:August 20}

Katerina's for dinner to close out summer.
{Day 84:August 21}

First goldfish :)

Sunday, August 14, 2016

100 Days of Summer, Week 11

It's been an action packed week. We ventured to Toddlin' Time a few days and we went to the pool with our old friends from babysitting! Matt and I also celebrated our 4th anniversary and got to go out for the night. This coming week is my last week home with Quinn. I am beyond sad, but I am hoping to have another fun filled week before sucking it up and getting back into the school year routine. 

{Day 71:August 8}

Adventures at Toddlin' Time. Q loved playing with balls, watching the big kids, and doing the parachute
{Day 72:August 9}

Problem Solver! Crawling with a dress :)
{Day 73:August 10}

Watermelon Lover...she's going to be disappointed come fall. 
{Day 74:August 11}

Reunited with her friends at the pool!
{Day 75:August 12}

Anniversary Smores :)
{Day 76:August 13}

Then we went out for our anniversary to a train depot converted to a restaurant. 

{Day 77:August 14}

Greek turkey burgers!

Sunday, August 7, 2016

100 Days of Summer, Week 10

This past week was an exciting one! Quinn took her first vacation and a very long road trip! We all had a lot of fun, she especially loved the beach. I would say that the ocean is her favorite, but she enjoyed the sand too. This week we are back in Virginia and I plan on trying to make the most of these last two weeks of my summer vacation. We have some fun things in store, stay tuned.

{Day 64:August 1}

Swimming in the pool. She was a fish! She went under water, kicked her legs, went in the waterfall, and rode this lobster all week!
{Day 65:August 2}

First day at the beach!
{Day 66:August 3}

Watching the guy golf from the deck.
{Day 67:August 4}

Napping on the beach. 
{Day 68:August 5}

Happy girl in the dunes. 
{Day 69:August 6}

Desperate times...so as mentioned many times before, Quinn hates the car seat. She was a real trooper most of our trip, but the way home was LONG. Everything was going decently until Richmond when all the traffic came. Our friend lost her mind so we had to pull over. Matt decided the best place to go was Mattress Warehouse where he made up an elaborate story about needing a new bed for our guest room while Quinn and I walked all around the store and she crawled on temperpedics. All I wanted to do was lay down. 
{Day 70:August 7}

Happy to be swinging at home :) 

Sunday, July 31, 2016

100 Days of Summer, Week 9

It's been an exciting week! We took our longest road trip as a family of 3. Since it wasn't hot enough in Virginia :), we decided to go south, finding ourselves in Charleston and then Hilton Head for the next week. Stay tuned for an exciting first beach experience! 

{Day 57:July 25}

First pair of shoes...it's a love/hate relationship
{Day 58:July26}

I love our crepe myrtle, and I'm sad that I think we are missing it in full bloom this week. 
{Day 59:July 27}

Pack and ready to go...all this stuff for 3 people...or mostly one person.
{Day 60:July 28}

On the road...a highlight for our car seat hater...this was right before the most massive meltdown.
{Day 61:July 29}

Fort Sumter, South Carolina
{Day 62:July 30}

Our view for the week, Galleon Golf Course, Hole #1
{Day 63:July 31}

Matt's Birthday Dinner!!! 



Sunday, July 24, 2016

100 Days of Summer, Week 8

Oh Week 8, really? We had quite an eventful week. We spent the early part of the week in Pittsburgh where Quinn decided sleeping was for the bird and I had all kinds of car drama. It's always something. Now we are back in HOT Virginia, getting back in the swing of things just in time to travel south later this week. Slow down, summer!

{Day 50:July 18}

Crawling in the grass in Pittsburgh.
{Day 51:July19}

When someone backs into your brand new car. At a red light. Whyyyy?
{Day 52:July 20}

And the very next day you lock your keys inside. I was ready to see Virginia again.
{Day 53:July 21}

She's a reader!
{Day 54:July 22}

What the 9 month photo shoot really looks like.
{Day 55:July 23}

Of course Q gets mail from Paris.
{Day 56:July 24}

When it's 'feels like 100+' you wear your pants on your head and you look like Laura Ingalls