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Friday, October 31, 2008

Bleh...

Things are still going south here...

Donnie is going to Chicago for a job for 6 weeks and we are staying with friends because my parents seem to think I am still 16 and need to be treated as such.

ANYWAY.

Q is 7 months old yesterday. Where has time gone, seriously? He is a crawling master and has started pulling up on things, and yes, CRUISING. Mama is not prepared for this new level of mobility.

To make up for my infrequent posts, here are some of Q's professional 6 month pictures.




Wednesday, October 22, 2008

He always knows how to make me smile...

We got fluffy mail today. Our custom order of Elbee diapers of which only one is ours since we can't afford $50 a diaper except for just one special one...

Anyway... without further ado, here is supermodel Quinlon.




Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Ouch.

October sucks.

October 2006 = EDD of our dear Evelyn. Yeah, that was a shitty Halloween. I got so trashed I don't remember it. I still feel guilty for that. I was hiding from the pain in a handle of Jack Daniels.

October 2007 - Donnie's aunt (who was like a second mother to him) died.

October 2008 - Donnie's best friend since 4th grade hangs himself in his basement widowing his 7 month pregnant wife.

...

There really are no words for this. Donnie flew to NY to be with the family. He was family to them. He said it was the hardest thing in his entire life to see his friend's father break down and sob like a baby.

It really hits far too close to home for me. My boyfriend in HS shot himself in the head. I was the one who found him. I also missed his phone call, possibly his cry for help, my chance to save him. It regurgitates so many raw feelings that I thought I had left behind.

But, damn, it makes me appreciate my beautiful husband and amazing son. Certain aspects of my life are complete and utter shit right now, but I wake up to two beautiful boys and I can't really say that I NEED more.

Hug your loved ones tightly. They are the most precious things in this world.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Car seat woes...

Mother in law was sweet enough to buy us a travel system (after being told not to) for Quinlon. Sadly, she didn't have the foresight to even get the safest one, but got the one with the flashy name (Eddie Bauer). Subsequently, we hate the fucking thing. The carseat is freaking HEAVY and the stroller is bulky and awkward. We've used the stroller all of 3x. We use our Beco Butterfly baby carrier more often than anything because it is a miracle worker.

Had she asked what we wanted, I would have told her a Britax convertible seat.

So here we are, Quinlon reaching the limits of the abominable infant seat and scrambling for something affordable.

Father in law was sweet enough to give us $100 to spend on Quinlon. Awesome. Now, the issue I am facing is that none of the GOOD seats are under $100. I take that back, there are 2 that are, but I was hoping I could get a gently used one for cheaper since Q also needs a few other items as well.


All of this had me thinking of all the things I have learned by trial and error since Quinlon was born. Many of these things I would do completely differently now. So, just for posterity's sake, I am going to write out all the things I am going to do differently next time.

1. We will get a crib, but use it as a modified co-sleeper by taking the front panel off and pushing it flush against the bed.

2. Start out with a diaper stash that resembles our "stash nirvana" now. GMD prefolds, OBV prefolds, and wool.

3. A GOOD swing is a must from day one.

4. LOT'S of babywearing.

5. NO onsies. Insist on ALL t-shirts. It's gotten annoying to cut all his onsies into shirts so he can wear them with his gorgeous wool clothing.

6. BIG swaddling blankets are worth their weight in gold.

7. The kimono shirt with the little mitt flaps are a LIFESAVER - stock up on them!

8. NUrsing bras are a waste of money. Front clasp regular bras or sports bras worm much better and are half the price.

9. Infant seats suck. Get an convertible seat from day one.

I'm sure I will be adding to this as time goes by, but I feel soooo much more prepared for next time.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Hard thoughts

Today is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.



If everyone would take a moment and pray for all the mothers who have lost babies, unborn or otherwise, I would appreciate it.

This day is especially poignant for me because my angel's EDD was Halloween. October is always a touch and go month for me since that year because of that. Here I am with my beautiful, amazing son and I thank the Tao that I have been blessed with the honor of being his mother. His sister is his guardian spirit and he will grow up knowing that she protects him everyday.

Being a mother is so amazing and humbling, even moreso after you have felt the excruciating pain of having your child taken from your arms, your heart before you had the chance to watch them grow.

Hug your little ones extra tight today and say a thank you to the powers that be that you have them in your life.

Coming up for air.

Many happenings in this house. The most significant of which is Quinlon is now officially crawling and has me running around like a lunatic trying to baby proof things and fishing random objects from his mouth.

We're still plugging away with solids. He has decided his favorite is cucumber slices and gnaws them until they are soggy shredded messes. Still no sign of any teeth, but I can't say that I am all that sad about keeping the gummy smiles as long as possible since he is growing up in every other way so very fast.

As of 6 months, he weighed 19.3 lbs and was 27 1/4 inches long.
Length = in percentile 75
Weight = between percentile 50 and 75

He has recently figured out how to taunt the dog much to our amusement and the dog's dismay. The dog adores Quinlon and he enjoys her company as well, but she has a nasty habit of licking his mouth so we yell at her a lot when she is too near or too friendly with Quinlon. He will hold out a toy that he knows she wants, usually a stuffed animal of some sort, and when she comes to investigate, he swoops in with the other hand and grabs a fearsome fistful of hair.

Quinlon also has an odd fondness for one of my mother's wooden spoons. He ignores the teethers we've spent good money on and gnaws the spoon like it is made out of steak. He also has deadly accuracy with that thing and I have the bruises and bumps to prove his violent talent.

Today he pooped on the floor. He fled a diaper change while I was gathering a forgotten wipe and seemed content so I took my time and tidied up a few things only to realize that things smelled a bit off and found him crawling about and leaving a trail of the gross semi solid food, semi breast fed poo all over the room. :x He thought it was a great game and ran from me when I went to grab him and strip him down for a good wipe down.

I leave you with some pictures of our adventures of late.




Thursday, October 2, 2008

Allen Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebs - Collage - Morph

FUCK yeah. I win.