Awesome Quinn

Quinn likes to walk on edges lately. There's a low stone wall in front of the house and Quinn likes to balance on it. Along our make-shift driveway there is also a concrete ridge of sorts that climbs up the small incline. He likes to walk up that as well. He's doing so well with his balance and strengthening of muscles, I think. When he runs, I marvel at his little legs and arms working together. Sometimes he leans forward- into a fictional wind- and runs fiercely forward, fists balled. Other times, he stands up painfully straight as he runs. Still other times, he shuffles his feet as he moves along, feet in front of his whole body. To every walk and quirk to Quinn, there is beauty and growth, making me feel like the luckiest Mom in the world

My son loves his Car pajamas. The pants to it are red, white and blue and plaid style. They are hilarious and he loves them. Come to think of it, Quinn always loves whatever set of pajamas is new and would like to wear them more than just for bed time. Went to swimming lessons last night for the first time in two weeks. Quinn loves the swim instructor this time around. It's a guy and he's very interactive and goes beyond the syrupy sweet voice of the teen girl instructors. Quinn wants to chase him around the pool and play. Funny kid.

Last night we had a small accident with Quinn. My little explorer decided to pull up the vent in his room. Then, before I could put it back, he decided to walk over it, forgetting it was gone. His little foot slipped into the hole and it gave him a scratch on the bottom of his foot that bled a bit. Poor thing. 'Course, as soon as he had a bandaid on his heel, he began to walk around on his toes. I do love that somehow he always knows how to protect his injury, even when his injury is sometimes fake:)

My wonderful little boy seems to be on his way to weening himself. Sort of. Of course, yesterday was the first time I admitted that aloud to Luke and then Quinn was nursing more than ever last night. Maybe he intuited it too. Now that I have longer work days with Luke at home with Quinn, we are nursing later and he's been sleeping for longer periods at night. The books and articles all say that weaning is something really gradual and that he may just surprise me one day and be done. Quinn has had so many transitions lately with Luke home and no more Jo-Jo's. I think he's handled it all really well. Excellent little boy.

The newest routine in the house is playing a lot of ball and catch. Quinn likes to set Luke and I up in a triangle and we toss the ball back and forth, or, when it comes to the golf ball or actual baseball, we roll it. The other week we got this incredibly sweet note from the neighbor that said she saw us playing as a family in the backyard and really loved that even when Quinn missed the baseball, we cheered and celebrated his efforts. What a cool validation.

Luke is doing really brilliantly with Quinn during the day. They are playing together so much and Luke has him excelling with meals. Plus, he's getting him to nap without having to lay down with him. While I do very much want Luke to find a job soon, I am glad that they have this time together, even if I am a tad envious. Still, my summer will soon be here and I have enjoyed more time with Quinn as a result of my work schedule from the time he was born. It is more than right that Luke should have these delicious moments with our son:)

Friday, 5/8

Hmm....

I hope that all is going swimmingly well with your projects and that you are energetically assembling your trip! For some of you, that trip might become a reality if you sign up for Rich's trip next spring.

I didn't see many daily response posts yesterday. Please remember that conferences are literally around the corner and that mid-terms are mailed Wednesday morning. Please also remember that your blog should include at least 2-3 misc. posts per week that can be about anything and everything.

Have a wonderful weekend and I hope you're donating some blood today at the blood drive!

Spent most of today putting out emotional fires with students today. The poetry slam ignited a fierce storm of drama. One of my actors was suspended and another one is grating on my nerves with his emotionally manipulative ways. One student is crying out for help from me and I don't have all the answers or know if the ones I propose can be of much help. I spent most of my day being a social worker for kids, and also realizing that if I was the social worker, I wouldn't know the kids the way I do... or even what I do. It's a conundrum. The title of social worker alone would probably drive them away and the fact that they come to know me first as a teacher and then as a confidante it what works for us. I can always fall back on literature and discussion and plays. To focus on mental and emotional health all day would, I think, drain me. And so I am compelled to ask myself: as I strive wholeheartedly to make a difference in the lives of my students, will I be able to do the same for my son? Will I have the reserve and patience to tackle his personal challenges? If I allow myself to be emotionally wrung out by my students, will I have enough left for Quinn, who deserves the best from me and may not have a teacher like me in his life?

I am able to blog everyday for and about my kids for school, but then come up short for this blog because words and fluency escape me. And yet, it was only through listening to an old voicemail Quinn left me on my way home from work that I was able to make it home and attempt to reframe my mind. The most amazing thing in the world is the way Quinn runs after a baseball. With his fists balled up and his arms pumping back and forth, he runs with his back straight against the win, posture tall, lowering his center of gravity as he pursues the ball. Lately, he just wants to be outside and I love that the instinct in him is strong to be outside and playing. Luke, Quinn and I braved a rainy looking night this week to head to the park. It looked like maybe I had sent us out into turbulent weather, but it held, and there was the most beautiful double rainbow after a light sprinkle. Quinn is getting really good about hearing and taking direction. Luke has taught him, for instance, how to stand when he's at bat and he can correct Quinn by asking him to turn around. Quinn makes contact on a good number of our pitches and it's so exciting to see him bat. I do my very best to encourage all of his attempts, validating his effort, his swing, his concentration.... When he runs after balls, he sometimes allows himself to take a circuitous path, weaving here and there in pursuit of the ball. His aim has gotten leaps and bounds better and he's throwing straight more and more. Of course, as hea wearies, so too does his approach. When he's tired, he might spin around completely as he throws and the ball ends up behind him, or just in front of him after a pop up into the sky:)

Quinn's new favorite movie is King George and his Ducky, a Veggie Tales film my mom bought him for Easter. He insists lately on wearing his too small Saints t-shirt that is beginning to look like a half t-shirt on him. Funny kid. Of course, he also loves his TC Twins shirt that Nana and Papa got for him and will wear that multiple days in a row. We're going on two weeks now that we've skipped swimming lessons. Something about all that work for 1/2 an hour discourages us, I think. When we ask him if he wants to go, he invariably says No even though if we got him there, I'm sure he would be over the moon. As he was swinging at the park the other day, I was singing to him the Teddy Bear song that we do at swimming and when we closed the song, Quinn said, "Bye Swimming". HIs associations are strong.

I'm driving a new vehicle now. Matt has finally retrieved his Kia Spectra and despite it's loud motor, I am using it so that Quinn and LUke have access to the car seat Honda. It feels awfully weird to be driving a new car and not to be driving my kid around. My lack of having a routine to drop him off to school leaves me feeling rather empty and lost. I miss the one minute drive where QUinn and I sang together. I miss starting and ending my work day with Quinn, even if it meant having less time for schoolwork. Of course I always could use more time to get school stuff done, but I better liked my life when I had more Quinn time. My last drop off of Quinn at daycare was really sad. Two years ago, I lifted a baby into Jo-Jo's house and in the last few weeks he was there, he was climbing out of the car himself and walking in on his own. How many afternoon's did I jokingly chase him down the street because he was running away from me and wanted me to play? I miss being the guts of Quinn's day. Now, I have more freedom to get to work and stay there, but what good does that do me when I already feel like it gets too much of my heart?

Obviously, I'm a little emotionally overwrought today and I don't always feel this way. Luke's unemployment has had so many ripple effects and I'm probably just feeling the stress of it all right now. I don't thinK i can get this masters paper done this month and it kills me to have to put it off yet again, especially when I don't know how to do that...

Tonight Quinn was being pulled around by his father in the IKEA bag and was blissfully happy tucking himself into the $.50 bag. Quinn loves to watch Dad's show- 30 Rock. What a funny show for him to enjoy. Dad got to take Quinn to Target the other day and bought Quinn a mater truck, from cars. How fun and sweet.

Chris' wedding is right around the corner and the prospect of the weekend is exciting and exhausting. Thankfully, I'm taking a long weekend and so I hope that will give me time to recover from the fun and obligations. The whole household is part of the event. Asha is doing us a huge favor and agreeing to be Quinn's nanny for the day. I need to make that hotel reservation...

We got some really terrible news today about Gwen. Or rather, she got some really upsetting news. She has been having some medical issues lately and it turns out that she may have a form of really aggressive blood cancer. I don't even know how to process the news. So often, it seems that Tim and I would talk about the whole what comes around goes around thing and I guess I never thought something could actually happen... and I hate to believe that it may have. For all that Gwen is or isn't, I don't want her personal life and health to be in peril. I think she has areas of growth to work on in her professional life, but so do I. My heart breaks at the thought of her becoming sick. I don't know what would happen to the school without her.

As much as we would have liked to see Quinn racing away on his new bike, it seems that he is content to run away on his own two feet. Granted, the bike we got is a little big for him, but he also kind of just wants to be pushed on it anyways:) When we were at Carolyn's last sunday for dinner, Lukey had a push version of the bike where you had to use your legs to move and Quinn just set his feet up on the rest bar and wanted me to push him. Funny kid. He was so friendly with Lukey last weekend. There house is one cluttered, crazed toy bonanza. They have so many things for Quinn to explore. More than that though, he wants Lukey to play with him and be his friend. It's pretty darn cool to witness the kindness and openness Quinn has to be close to other kids his age. Pretty sweet. He's a good hugger, my Quinn.

We had our first non-family babysitter last week. Her name is Grace and she's one of my students. She's done mentoring before and worked at Wilder, and done lots of babysitting. She was pretty open and accepting of my neurosis too. It was a fun night out for Luke and I. We went to dinner and saw a movie and I'm not sure we'll be able to do that again, but it was a nice night. Why won't be repeat it very soon? It's expensive. We ended up paying grace something like $4o for the night. Whew.

Still, she got him to bed and he did well with her so that is a wonderful feat. Sidney was sad that I didn't let her take care of Quinn. Maybe someday:) For the time being, Grace is a bit more steady.

QUinn loves Crispix now and we've gotten him into a good routine of cereal in the morning. Cool. Good source of iron too. Blood drive is tomorrow at school. Dinner theater in two weeks.

'Cause

My son is super smart. Lately, when I ask Quinn "why?" he wants to do something or needs something, he replies with "cause". Silly boy. He smiles every time he says it. Today we are giving Quinn his very first bike. It's red, a Radio flyer and the cutest thing you've ever seen... that is, until I get to see Quinn on it. Ever since Matt bought himself a bike, Quinn has been aching for one and there's little he wants or verbalizes that we say no to.... I don't mean that he is spoiled, just that he doesn't require much:) The only thing Quinn asks for lately that we don't give him is the "Bear" movie or rather, Kung Fu Panda. After Quinn wacked me across the chest, kung fu style, we decided that film wasn't quite the influence we were looking for.

We've gotten into quite the poor habit of eating dinner on the couch. We do our best to get him to sit at his little table, but a habit has been formed. As we percolate whether or not to take him out of daycare, I have to remember that some of the lessons he is learning there are about consistency and rules. I am sure he eats his meals at a table and he takes naps at the same time every day-- on his own. He has been asking for Jo-Jo today so I assume that he likes it, despite some of the recent chaos with more kids. I don't want to pull him from his routine, but I also want to be sure I can feed him...

My son loves wearing pajamas lately. He has a new set of Handy Manny pajamas and a shark set. Tragically, his Handy Manny pants suffered a blow when nail polish spilled all over them last weekend. I was painting my nails in the bathroom and Quinn found me. He wanted his nails painted too so I obliged. Somehow, Quinn's hand knocked the open bottle and he ended up with a giant splotch of paint on his pants and the floor of the bathroom and Mom were speckled with paint. Naturally, we were at the very dregs of the remover so little attention was paid to this pants. What attention we did pay didn't change much about his pants, with the exception that the color bled through to his leg and he was adorned with a bright red spot. By the next day it had faded, but it was quite funny.

We just removed his nail polish today before our Easter visit to Le Sueur. :)

When Quinn requests a band aid on his foot he responds in the sweetest way. Say, he asks for the band-aid to be on his toe or on the bottom of his foot. From that point on, he walks in a way that keeps that spot from touching a ground, walking on the side of his foot or heal. He certainly knows how to accommodate his injuries!

Things Quinn likes to eat: yoplait yogurt (strawberry or straw vanilla, nutri grain vanilla yogurt bars, cheese sticks, fries, pizza, pasta, Crispix cereal, cookies, ice cream, chicken corn chowder...

Things Quinn likes to play with: Handy Manny toys, cars, shovel/bucket, tennis racket, golf club, baseball/balls, horsey

Books we've been reading lately: Go Dog Go, The Mighty Casey, Click Clack Moo, The Empty Pot, Curious George (and the toy store, at the zoo, 1 Fish 2 Fish

Songs we've been singing: ABC's, Ring Around the Rosey, Twinkle Twinkle, Wheels on the Bus, Itsy Bitsy Spider

I used the list format just now because I never feel I can do this blog justice because I am so incredibly in awe of every single thing Quinn does. I feel sometimes like the writing in the blog is dry, but if I were to speak poetically about it all, I'd be here reminiscing about a single smile for months:)

Meet You

My son knows that when you shake people's hands you say, "Nice to meet you" except that when he says it, it comes out, "Meet you". It's the very sweetest thing. He shakes your hand vigorously and makes eye contact with you. Brilliant boy. When he is looking for you, instead of "where are you?" it comes out, "Are you?" I love the substitutions or deletions in his vocabulary. We are still pulling things a great deal. We also are spending more time outside. The other day we spent time shoveling in the backyard and hammering the side of the house. We also kicked around the soccer ball. Quinn is also all about driving the car. Getting him into his seat after Jo-Jo's is quite the feat. He'd rather crawl into the front seat and drive himself. He knows where the lights are and the mirrors. Heck, he can even open his door on his own while sitting in his seat. I have to be really careful to lock it! This past weekend Quinn and I went to the Walker for the first time for the Family Free Saturday. We had some fun moments in the sculpture garden looking at the big spoon and horse sculpture. He also liked walking through the arboretum. Quinn loves to be tickled. Lately, I have taken to writing the alphabet in his back and he loves the tickles. I don't even need to touch his back, but reach around like I'm going to and say the letter and he starts giggling. Silly, wonderful kid. His swimming lessons seem to have taken root in his world. At bath times lately, he loves to lay down in the water and float. He'll kick or push back until his head hits the end of the tub. His ears are completely submerged and his smiling face peaks out at you and checks to make sure we're watching. Quinn's newest pretending game is that there is water all around the bed or room and he needs to stay on the couch or bed because the water is rising. Pretty darn imaginative. We're newly into Crispix.

Rosy

All thing are Rosy when it comes to life with Quinn. Quinn is singing up a storm lately and knows his ABC's, Twinkle Twinkle and the Itsy Bitsy spider. He might also know Three Little Fish, but it upsets him that the fish jump out of the water and he always wants them to jump back in:) For the past couple days, Quinn likes to pull Luke and I into a fabulous game of Ring around the rosy. I wish I didn't know that the song actually dealt with the black plague, but that's hardly something I'll teach Quinn. The first time Quinn did ring around the rosy was probably at Bobbi and Levi's wedding with Ethan and Ellie. It was quite cute and still is today. I don't know where it's coming from, but Quinn has taken to disciplining his toys. His horse and Curious George seem to absorbing the majority of his avarice. He will tell George that he is a bad boy and either hit him or throw him. The horse occasionally gets kicked and/or thrown. Jo-Jo's says he's not doing it there, so I don't know where he picked it up. I do hope it passes. For the past couple days, I've been writing the ABC's on Quinn's back and he loves both the words and the tickles. Sweet boy.