Saturday, July 18, 2009

Everybody into the pool

Wednesday this week was forecast to be a nice day, and it was. I came home from work early to meet Bec & Quinn at the park. I arrived, battling lateness as always it seems, especially when it comes to leaving work, and they were in the wading pool, Quinn steaming straight through the deepest part as is his wont, Bec madly keeping up behind him. After awhile Quinn came over to see me and got out of the pool.

He stamped around in some puddles for a bit, but then decided he wanted back into the pool. But he wouldn't let Bec take him in. He tugged on my hand. I pleaded unreadiness but to no avail. Nothing would do but daddy had to go in the pool with him. Finally I realized that readiness really didn't matter - I shed my shoes and socks and sacrificed my pants to the water, steaming around behind Quinn in water up to his neck. He had a great 'ol time and so did I, readiness be darned!

Now, quick, before it's gone

Quinn turns a year and a half a week from now. On the one hand it doesn't seem like a very big number, but on the other hand, how far we've come. I was looking for something the other day and came across some breast pads that Bec used to use when Quinn was very small. Not any more. You think these things will go on forever but they don't. I'm so glad we take so many pictures (slowing down from our crazy pace of the first year though) and I'm go glad I keep this blog; but even still it flies by. While pictures and words are the best we've got, they seem such an inadequate representation.

I have heard this from others and read this. I try very hard to immerse myself in the Now. Yet here he is 8.3% grown up (presuming 18 is "grown up" at least by some measures...) and I feel like I'm missing it somehow. Then there's that lady in Montreal who was killed by a 300lb slab of falling concrete while on a patio, celebrating her birthday no less; and a favourite former manager of mine waging a battle with cancer, with two young kids at home. You never know when your time is up.

Come on Quinn, wake up from your nap - there's some Now to be had.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Up, Down, Hop, Help, Hat, Dada...but mostly No

Quinn's words. He uses 'up' pretty accurately now. 'Down' comes out like "dowwwww". He uses 'hop' a lot while bouncing stuffed or plastic animals. We're gradually having success at training him to use 'help' ("hep") to replace general shrieking when he can't do something himself. 'Hat' was one of the first random repetitions he uttered but he's not so much into that word any more. 'Dada' seems to come out when daddy's going to work, which is pretty special.

But as to be expected for an almost-one-and-a-half-year-old, 'no' is the most popular word in his vocabulary. He applies it to every situation, and it might possibly be accurate sometimes, but it largely seems to be a random utterance, signifying his independent intentions of whatever we might have planned for him.

I think he understands a lot of words. Many he obviously grasps; many others I think he has a general idea about. We still read books that are quite advanced for him. Many of them I think he understands, to a certain degree anyway. He's still quite excited about reading and gets a great big grin on when he picks out a book and brings it over to the couch to read. It's one of the favourite things we all share together. May that continue for years to come.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

The State of Eating

Quinn's a pretty good eater. There are only certain things he'll eat, but he eats lots of those, most days. He's not so much a meat eater, although we've tried on a number of occasions. He gobbles up all fruits, will eat a few vegetables sometimes (sometimes we have to resort to trickery or hide them in things). Cereal, bagels, toast, cheese, crackers, pizza, pasta...he's pretty open to trying new things, but first tries are usually tentative and it's the second meal attempt with the new food that's the telling one.

He's got almost all his molars now (last one's still finishing coming in I think), his front four and I think one or two other teeth. He is capable of biting food, although he only does so sometimes - I saw hime bite off some banana once and therefore assumed he could and would, but after some spectacularly huge mouthfuls I've learned to make smaller bites for him.

He will occasionally remove food from his mouth if something more appealing is put on his plate, which is a bit of thinking-outside-the-box I hadn't really considered. He also loves to throw food on the floor, much to his parents' dismay. It usually happens late in the meal when he's mostly done, or he's done with the particular sorts of food currently arrayed on his tray. He usually has this "watcha gonna do about it??" look on his face that may be a sign of things to come.

He's become reasonably adept at feeding himself with a spoon or a fork. He's quite proud of himself when he does this, so much so that sometimes he will refuse the same food if others attempt to feed it to him. He largely feeds himself from food we put on his tray. It appears to be a fine line between putting enough quantity and variety on his tray, and overwhelming him with too much so that he turfs it all on the floor. He can manage a sippy-cup of juice or milk pretty much on his own, but we take it away from him when he starts making puddles on his tray. He's interested in drinking from adult glasses, but I guess it's harder than it looks - he still usually spills and coughs.

All in all I'd say it's pretty much normal toddler eating. He eats pretty well and he's got the buddha-belly to show for it too :) Hopefully that translates to upward growth before long. He is solidly built, growing, and getting heavier, so I guess he's putting it to good use.

Quinn, Eager Gymnast

Quinn had his first gymnastics class today. I talked to Bec briefly on the phone and apparently he just looooooovved it...had a great big grin on his face the whole time. There were somersaults and hanging from rings (with instructor's help) and trampolines and balance beams and all sorts of things to jump on and to. Apparently most of the other 6 kids didn't immediately take to it, but Quinn just ate up every moment. I'm so excited for him! Now we'll have to figure out how to foster that at home without any death-defying stunts.

I can hardly wait to hear all the gory details when they get home (they're at a birthday party for a friend of Quinn right now)!