12 months... i mean, i have 1 year old?!

what a month it's been for my girl.  i cannot even believe i am writing what she is like at 12 months?!  we are here already??

Quinn at 12 months...
-17lbs. 1.5oz. (11th %), 28 in. (12 %), head circumference 43.5 cm (15 %)

-first steps were taken on 12/29/12.  the anniversary date of mommy and daddy's engagement :)

-officially walking for reals now as of a few weeks ago!

-definitely cannot have dairy still.  i started with just regular plain yogurt after you were 11 months and you would get a rash on your face.  tried some cheese too but you weren't really a fan and your chin still got a little red.  the skin thing was the only symptom so i tired yogurt a few more times spread out over the month to watch for more allergic reactions other than epidermal. nothing happened but it made the area around your mouth get what looked like eczema pretty bad so i didn't continue with any more dairy.  until i a few days before your birthday i thought i'd try it again but this time with some of the greek yogurt i was eating.  you liked it, had about two tablespoons, but then i could tell something was not right.  you did not want the rest of your lunch and just wanted to be held, like you didn't feel well.  your face/head started getting super red like a bad sunburn and something was really bothering you.  you were so sad.  thankfully, you threw up. (didn't think those words would meet each other in the same sentence... i was glad for puke!)  so much puke even your breakfast was in there!  but you felt much better.  

-can say cup. (your sippy cup of water)

-i think you understand what you're saying now when you say 'dada'.  you looked up the stairs for him the other morning while saying it. and then pointed to the pictures on the wall of him saying it.

-can say mama!!!!

-when you see your baby doll or any baby doll you want it and then you make this kind of 'aw' sound while making a little grin and hugging it.  

-you give kisses without being asked for them!  sometimes lots in a row or back and forth between daddy and mommy.  the sweetest kisses ever!

-up for the day about 6:45-7am / two naps about 9am and 1pm / bedtime about 7pm.

-eats breakfast once you're up, a bottle before morning nap, lunch around 11:30/noon, a bottle before afternoon nap, a snack around 3:30/4, dinner between 5 and 6, and a bottle before bed.

-foods that are guaranteed to be eaten (all the rest depends on the day): blueberries, bananas, strawberries (i think most fruits actually), canned green beans and peas, meatballs, whole wheat bread, muffins, and ritz crackers.
-still very social but you are very aware of strangers so it depends on how you feel about them if you act shy and scared or smiley/giggly and waving to them.
-you're obsessed with books, anything in the sky like birds, the moon, planes, and bright stars, any small animals running around, and other little kids.
-you are non-stop on the go all the time!  you keep me busy and on my toes!  i'm scared for the day when we add a newborn to the mix! (with your strong personality i'm thinking the longer we wait for that the better)  i'm realizing that you are going to be one who will need many outlets/opportunities to get your energy out.  hellooo dance class! :)


(no pictures yet... she's been in such a weird/whinny mood lately, maybe teething..?, that i haven't even wanted to mess with getting calendar pictures because i know she isn't a fan of them.)

what i loved... 4th edition

week #4

i think the fact that brian has monday off makes me feel like it's still the weekend when i should be catching up on things instead of playing.  it's kind of our family day/i can get stuff done while he plays with quinn day.  so i am late posting once again... if it counts i actually started writing this up on thursday of last week!


-i loved that i found just the words i needed to hear lately.  for those mamas raising toddlers, or any kids for that matter, this post is worth the read... reminding you that you're not alone in your faults.

-what a better compliment to get from a stranger than an "i like you"?  okay that sounds weird...
the instructor in the pi-yo class i take asked if the class wanted to try new things and switch it up.  i said yes and that i liked what we did more at the end of last year because it felt more challenging.  she said it was more challenging and then followed with an enthusiastic "i like you!".  you bet i worked my butt off that night! gosh i love that class!

-i'm loving that my husband booked a hotel for me to go to a friends wedding in fresno next month when i really thought i wouldn't be able to go!  how awesome is he!?! ...don't remind me that i'll be away from my quinny for two whole days for the first time in her itty bitty life :(

-i have a one year old now!!! not sure if i loved that my baby turned one but i do love how much more fun this birthday is than last years :)  she is a lot sillier and a lot easier that's for sure!

-i loved having a busy saturday full of girl time! first a baby shower and then a girls night with taylor and liana of course!  we went out to eat at a yummy place in downtown la mesa and then did things like we were 15 again... but you can never be too old for nail painting, dessert baking, and late night talking you know.


and of course, the only pictures i ever remember to take are crappy iphone ones of Quinn.  These were taken on her birthday and i am looooving that i got these little moments to remember her forever at this age!

"what is this stuff sticking to my hands??"

"ooo it's so itchy! ah don't let it touch my baby feet!"

"this is the best day ever!!!"

"uh? sand? ...i don't know about this stuff."

"but it's getting on me!"

"okay, it's pretty cool i guess.  ooo wow it's on my feet."

that owl face just kills me.

letter to my birthday girl

My Dearest Little Quinny, 

Since I was little, like kindergarden little, I remember being obsessed with babies.  It soon grew to be anything babies/pregnancy/birthing.  I always said I wanted to be a baby doctor.  Then I got a little older and thought being a midwife sounded good.  And then I  got a little more older and realized what it would really take to become a midwife so I knew that wasn't happening.  And then I got a little older and wiser and married your daddy.  After a couple failed attempts at keeping you in me and lots of tears, prayer, growth, and time, we finally had you in our arms.  My sweet Quinn, having you made me understand what it really was that I wanted all those years of loving babies and time spent wondering what 'I wanted to be when I grew up'.  I wanted to be a mommy.  I wanted to be your mommy.  I wanted to have to the best, most divine role on earth.  It's just I didn't know, until you, that being a mommy was that type of job.  I knew it was hard, I knew it was 'the best job', and knew it was something I was going to do and wanted to do.  I just didn't know that being your mommy was all I ever really wanted and that nothing else compared.  You have given me so much that I can't even begin to wrap my head around it all.  

In the book "I am a Mother" by Jane Clayson Johnson, Sheri Dew says, "Through her mothering, a woman is the consummate leader of leaders.  If we truly believe that we are here in mortality to be tested and to demonstrate by the way we live our lives whether we want to be part of the kingdom of God or not, then what could possibly be more significant than bearing a child and thus making it possible for a spirit son or daughter to advance beyond the preparatory state of premortal life and enter the testing stage of earth life?  And having borne that child, what could possible be more enduring or important in the eyes of our Heavenly Father than nurturing one of His sons or daughters--teaching and cheering that precious soul on, preparing him or her to pass the test? 

Nothing. No diplomat or CEO or billionaire philanthropist does anything that comes anywhere close in importance to what a mother does.  No trophy or status or honor of man begins to compare with motherhood in terms of its eternal impact and glory.  Period."

You, my Quinn, have showed me that to be true.  So very, very true that it brings tears to my eyes.  Growing up I never understood anything along those lines of what motherhood really is.  But because of you I do now.  I really, really do!  Thank you for choosing me to be your mommy.  I want you to know that through the good and the bad days, and the ones with lots of messes and mistakes, that I love my job.  I love being your mommy.  I wouldn't want to be anywhere else besides right there with you changing your poopy diaper, driving you to practices (hopefully dance classes), and teaching you how to become a mother yourself one day.  I hope that you know how much you are loved and how important you are to your daddy and me.  You have been a challenging little babe in a lot of areas but in all the rest you are far more than we could have ever imagined for our little girl!  I hope that you will learn to love and listen to our Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ, that you may feel the spirit in our home, that you can learn to love and be kind.  

You are the most amazing one year old I know and we just can't get enough of you!  You are very friendly, spirited, and stubborn and I love you for all of it!  I can't wait to watch you grow and learn this next year as a curious little toddler! Wow Quinn! We made it one whole year and I don't even know where the time went!  Thank you birthday girl for giving us the best year yet!  

Love,
Mommy

 

what i loved... 3rd edition

week #3

need a good laugh check this out! seriously, i was dying at honey boo-boo's mom!

this is definitely late but having spent the end of last week/weekend/yesterday sick i really had no motivation to do anything at all. (i think all this juicing really helped with whatever it was that i had.  i mean it almost felt like i was getting the flu but it never came full force like i thought it would... yay for juicing!)  i'm mostly sad i missed out on my yoga classes while i had the chance since the hubby was home to watch the babe :(

besides all that... this past week went by way too fast! it was a good one so i'm sure that's why :)
it was oh so nice out and Quinn and i took advantage! we went for a jog before sunset without her little cheeks freezing off like they would have weeks before... and she even got to run around in just a onsie chasing the random cat that comes and goes. (she is obsessed with cats and dogs and gets upset when they run away from her)

(she has now ditched that push toy lion and runs off on her own where she pleases.  what is happening to my baby?!?)

"nooo kitty... come back!"

while brian finished up his long weekend trip with the boys, i took advantage of quinn's 7pm bedtime and had a mini girls night in with a couple of my bestie girls.  we made yummy things to eat of course, and i stayed up wayyy too late for a mom. but it was oh so worth it! sometimes i forget what life was like before a baby.

watching this baby get her first birthday card in the mail was quite the show.  i mean it's like she knew it was for her or something... even if it was only from toy r us :)  she read it in her, way too cute baby talk, for a good amount of time and walked, well kind of ran, around waving it babbling away all excited.  

what i loved... 2nd edition

week #2

i loved that i tortured myself in the kitchen to make this delicious homemade pot pie... i promise it tastes way better than it looks! and on the plus side it is really called 'light chicken pot pie'. gotta love that!  it's so good that between the two of us it was all gone by lunch the next day!

this week started off great with a family fun day! we took quinn to lindo lake on monday.  there were soooo many birds/ducks/geese that it made up for the swings being closed off.  she. was. in. heaven! we walked around the lake and would stop whenever we got to where a bunch of the birds/ducks/geese were so that quinn could freak out with excitement. she loves them so much that as we would continue walking she would get upset that we were leaving them.  good thing they were all around the lake and she could see them often! we need to get this girl a zoo pass asap!  she is one funny girl and i couldn't enough of her excitement! after a nap for the babe we finished the day with a yummy dinner at souplantation with brian's parents.

i got a dose of what it would be like if i had twins for a day. and quinn enjoyed having a little buddy her size until she realized he didn't do too much except take me from her.  too bad his 'easiest going baby ever' didn't rub off on her. (check out the size difference! she is almost four month older!)

i'm loooving this new toy! i've used it everyday since it arrived... okay it's only been like five days but that's five days of a lot of veggies and fruits that i most likely would not have eaten before it's arrival.  and i have found out i do NOT like ginger (at least in my juices anyways).  man those juices started tasting a lot better after i stopped adding ginger!

i'm also loving and enjoying my little shopping buddy!  i know these days won't be the same once there are more kids in the mix and she is so social that it makes grocery shopping with a baby not so bad.  ...even when she turns around all the way around to STAND in her seat in the cart! scary!

i'm loving these teeny lips waaaay too much!

and that i found her a jacket for when we go to utah for only $12.99 originally $45. seriously, how could you not love a deal like that! and so big that it'll be good for next year!

it was one good mail week cause i'm also loving these new books! the happiest baby on the block should be a requirement for everyone having a newborn.. it's that good. and the toddler one is not disappointing either!

and who doesn't love a crazy haired baby in the tub?!

as for this weekend while the husband is enjoying a snowboarding trip in mammoth (not. jealous. at. ALL!)  ...i loved that i finally was able to make it to my favorite saturday morning yoga class while quinn had way too much fun at grandma and grandpa's.  quinn and i had a yummy dinner at my family's and then brought home her favorite auntie to stay the night!  quinn loves jordan so much that she goes to her over me sometimes!!! craziness!  but i sure do love watching quinn light up and squeal with excitement over my baby sister :) that is some sweet stuff right there.

welcome 2013!/what i loved... 1st edition

i can't believe this year is here! i mean didn't i just push out my new little girl, like yesterday?! (i'm trying to pretend she is not turning one this month.)  i know that all this blog really has become is a monthly update of quinn and not much else.  i'd really like to change that though... because with a growing babe in the house it's nice to look back and remember these precious times we have together as a family of three.  (that is not me saying it will be four soon.)

so as this new year passes, i'm sure much faster than the last :(, and with the new adventure of raising an almost toddler, i'd like to focus on what made each week lovely and copy a friend's idea of weekly "what i loved" updates.  here's to new adventures in mommy-hood and to appreciating the small things that make each day lovely.

week #1

the hubby has had a whole week off work before he starts his new schedule soon.  it's been so nice! mostly because date night actually happened! yes people, i was able to really enjoy/finish my dinner uninterrupted by baby demands.  and i saw my first movie in theaters since quinn was born.  i have no idea why it's been so long but it made for the best date night that was very much needed! plus quinn got some extra grandma time in :) thanks mom!

daddy & baby kangaroo

i've discovered, again, how a mother's heart can be so full of joy as i watch my babe take off walking on her own with no prompting from us!  she hasn't made it past 10 or 12 steps but she does it more and more everyday! i can't wait until she decides crawling isn't the fast way around and she can toddle around as she pleases, free of dirty hands and legs!

 after nap puffy face

 her "wow" face

she thinks she's a toddler or something now... squeezing herself behind the couch!

i really loved the afternoon when husband surprised me by bringing home a delicious lunch!  much needed after i spent a good amount of time in a battle trying to get a stubborn one to realize her crib is not for rolling around like a hyper puppy but for sleeping, and that throwing pacifiers out of the crib results with them on the floor and not in her mouth.

"nooo mama, i don't want to stop playing!" and somehow she got her arm out like this haha

lunch from antonelli's can really turn around your day!

we loved having a super delicious dinner at the schimpfs and quinn got in some good play time with grandma and grandpa.

as much as i am envious of all those beautiful snow pictures i'm seeing around i'm loving that quinn can practice her walking skills in this beautiful san diego weather.

her little owl face admiring outside christmas decor

and target's dollar section is also where you can find the little things that make like lovely as well, right? :)