2 months to go until Quinn is TWO!

So, I noticed that it was the 17th, and Quinn is exactly 22 months old, starting the 2 month countdown until her 2nd birthday... so I thought it might be an occasion to re-start my blogging efforts and post some photos from the archives as well.

It's hard to believe, on the one hand, that it has been almost two years since she was born
(I look a little shocked, right? I think it's safe to say that parenthood is a fairly shocking thing.)

I did eventually get used to the idea, once I had a shower and some sleep -- here I am getting ready to take her home.
Our little snugglebug...And then home with Daddy!

One of the most shocking things has been how little we've slept in the past 22 months (it got a lot better about halfway through, because we moved to a place with a little bedroom just for her when she was about 10 months), but what is really amazing is how much she has grown and changed, from that sweet little lump of baby to a constantly moving toddler!

Here she is just a year ago (September '08), at 10 months.
(Yes, she was born with thicker hair than she had at 10 months... it all fell out and took quite a long time to grow back in!)


And here she is now!


A totally different creature... and yet always herself!

My plan is to post photos from the past two years over these two months. Later this week... December '07 and January '08. Stay tuned...

Hubris

Funny story. Tim, Amy and I all got really sick to our stomachs two weeks ago. We were miserable, but so very glad that Quinn did not get whatever horrible illness (food poisoning? stomach flu? the world my never know...) we all shared. Amy and I recovered quickly, but Tim has not been feeling quite right ever since. Poor guy. Also, now he has a cold.

But, anyway, I was reflecting on these events last night, and I thought to myself, "Wow, Quinn has never really thrown up. She would spit up like any normal baby with a new digestive system, but she's never really vomited." Wouldn't you know, this very morning, she was playing in bed while I tried to get just a little more rest before facing the day... and she threw up like a big girl on Mama and Daddy's bed. She seemed unfazed, and possibly a little happier. But then she wanted to drink juice and eat a cracker about 20 minutes later, and that came back up, too -- on the floor of her room. She's having a fussy day, but I think after a while she was just hungry. She ate a good amount of lunch and is now sleeping soundly, so I'm hoping the worst is over.

Shout-Out

You know who you are. :) We'll see how long it takes you to notice.

This is near the corner of 14th and R Streets in Northwest DC.

Out and About

On President's Day, we took advantage of that rare thing: a day when neither Tim nor I has to work and went downtown to find our spot on the Honor Wall at the National Museum of the American Indian.


See, we found it!My mother made a donation in our names in 2005 as our birthday & Christmas presents for 2005/06. In June 2007, she got a letter saying the section of the Honor Wall we were on had been completed and detailing the location of our names. She never saw that letter, and it has been in my desk drawer ever since (pretty impressive considering we've moved twice!). So, it felt good to finally get there. We had a very delicious lunch at the Mitsitam Cafe.

After the NMAI, we went to the Botanical Garden to remind ourselves of the jungle and dream of warmer weather to come. Quinn was enjoying the flowers (and the warmth).



And I was excited to see this flower:


which we saw quite a lot of in the jungle in Ecuador, but didn't know its name (of course, I can't remember it now, either!).

5 Months Later...

I have to say, my frequency of posting is pretty pathetic at this point. Quinn is now 15 months old! She had her 15 month checkup at the doctor yesterday, and is 50th percentile for weight, and possibly 25th percentile for length, but she was really mad and squirmy when getting measured, so it's not clear that it was at all accurate (for example, the head size reading was *smaller* than at her 12 month checkup). Anyway, here's a picture of our girl on Valentine's Day, in her Valentine's dress, doing one of her favorite things -- carrying Mama's purse. She often says "Bye-bye" and pretends she is going to walk out the front door when she does this.

She's also getting really good at walking.

And she loves to play... this picture of her riding on the dump truck was just too cute. It seems like she's learning new words at the rate of one a day... but that's probably a slight exaggeration. She does say "Please" and "thank you" when prompted, and was trying out "sorry" yesterday (but I'm pretty sure she hasn't grasped the concept). It is amazing how fast she is learning and growing. Next thing you know, she'll be learning to drive!