She's a snoozer...

...during the day at least.  First excursion outside: slept.  First trip in the car: naptime.  First trip to the pub for dinner: snooze city.  First trip in the stroller: yawwwn.  Midwife visit: zeds, excepting some grunts while being weighed (10 lbs at two weeks - growing like a weed!).  Park? Snooze.  Beach?  Soporific.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said for nighttime hours.  Sleep all day, party all night.  We're having a bit of difficulty getting this girl's clock turned around.  Not unusual I suppose.  It seems about every other night Bec gets a 3 or 4 hour stretch.  She seems to be holding it together pretty well somehow with some scattered sleep and an additional stretch in the morning.

Quinn's handling the whole transition well but he is very definitely four-and-a-half.  He's a high-energy handful.  He's had a couple of play visits with friends, some visits to the park with friends and I've taken him to two museums for extended outings.  Gramma and grampa had him overnight again this week and he had a great time out there.  Meanwhile we all got as much sleep as possible.  How did we ever think one kid was difficult??

Squirt! Crash course in multi-kids

On Marilla's third day the scorching heat wave finally abated enough to introduce Marilla to The Outdoors.  Not a big trip - the back yard.  She dealt with it the way she seems to deal with most everything so far - she snoozed happily away.

At one point Bec went inside for a well-deserved snooze and left Quinn and Rilla with me.  And the motion-activated sprinkler.  Quinn is of course fascinated with all things aquatic, and played happily with sprinklers and hose sections and nozzles for quite awhile under daddy's watchful and wary eye.  He was very good, being quite careful to not shoot water into the neighbour's shed upon my prodding (why daddy?).

Then he found the motion-activated sprinkler.  Gramma and Grandpa had brought it in to help us discourage our very cute but destructive neighbourhood groundhog.  I had hooked it up temporarily as a test and Quinn was very excited about it.  Now Quinn started to set it up again.  I half dozed off for a minute and when surroundings came back into focus I saw Quinn turning on the motion sprinkler that was teetering back and forth in an inadequate mounting hole in the ground.  I had visions of a wind-blown leaf triggering the sensor, the sprinkler tipping over and all heck breaking loose.

Rilla snoozed placidly in my arms, and thusly prevented from taking direct action myself,  I asked Quinn to turn off the hose.  After the requisite "why daddy" and explanation delay, he started to, upon which it triggered and immediately did almost a complete 360, Quinn having played with the side-to-side governors.  It sprayed daddy, Rilla, the house and the general vicinity, and scared the crap out of Quinn who had memories of grandpa being squirted square in the face.  I shielded Rilla and took refuge behind the barbecue.  Quinn took refuge under the removed blue plastic half-roof of his playhouse.  The sprinkler stopped.

With the situation seemingly stabilized but not yet rectified, I took stock: Rilla - mostly dry and still sleeping; Quinn cowering but safe; daddy - a little wet; mommy - not contactable.  I asked Quinn to make sure the hose was turned off.  He refused. After much imploring he at last reached up from his safety of cover and determined that it was, in fact, off.  But how much was still in the line?  After much coaxing I finally convinced him to pick up the sprinkler and point it away from everyone.  After one spurt it quickly peetered out and the baptism was over - Quinn having faced a fear, daddy having faced an outnumbered situation for the first time, and Rilla sleeping happily through her first water fight with her big brother.

Introducing Miss Marilla Jane Matthews

At 6:01am on July 4th, Miss Marilla Jane Matthews made her splashy entrance into this world.  Quite literally actually.  We did a home birth and it was amazing.  There was not a hint of trouble in mom or baby in the leadup nor during the event itself.  Labour was 5 hours, as opposed to 20 for Quinn, and this seemed to have kept everybody's demeanor rosy from the outset.

So far 'Rilla' seems to be a good sleeper.  Hopefully that lasts, especially given the difficulty sleep has been with Quinn.  Early in pregnancy with Rilla we bought a cheap single mattress and I (predominantly) started sleeping in Quinn's room to handle his frequent awakenings.  This seemed to revolutionize the lives of all involved and so we have stuck with it to this day.  I'm not exactly sure what the exit strategy is, but I keep telling myself that almost nobody grows to university age with their parents still sleeping on their floor :)

Rilla has well and truly shocked mommy and daddy back into the diapers game.  Day 2 she surprised mommy with two change-table poops in addition to the original.  Day 3 daddy was ambushed with no less than 5 change-table blasts.  At least Quinn got a big giggle out of it.  And hey, I suppose it further confirms that all systems are 'go' for our new baby girl.

Bec's milk has come in already and feeding is going well.  It's amazing what a difference it makes the second time around.  Experience now tames things that once seemed so earth-shattering. Plus you trust your instincts a lot more and it keeps the overanalysis to a minimum.  Name selection seems emblematic of the difference in approach between our two kids, taking months of spreadsheeting and book reading first time, and a 5-minute conversation second time.  I'm sure Rilla will have her own challenges in store for us, but so far so good. 

Quinn is adjusting really well and being an excellent big brother.  He is helpful and careful and respectful, gentle, wants to be the first to make her laugh and smile.  He sings to her.  Omigod 'Old MacDonald Had A Farm' and 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' have never has as cute a rendition as Quinn's loving rendition.

On Day 2, as I took Rilla for an hour in the morning so Bec could get some sleep, I realized it was her first trip beyond the confines of mommy and daddy's bedroom since she was born.  We toured the house and she sensed the changing setting somehow.  Different sounds and smells likely, light too.  Though I understand newborns' eyes aren't fully functional yet, her eyes were clearly responding to her environment.  The manual stairmaster eventually got her to sleep (Bec's milk wasn't in yet) as we practiced counting to 14 about 75 times.

Tomorrow may be her grand entrance into the outside world.  Quinn's friend Phoenix turns 5 tomorrow and there is a party at a nearby park.  However, there is a heat warning still in effect in Ottawa, and Bec's still recovering so we'll just have to see where young Marilla Jane makes her next splash.

Big Boy Bed A Rousing Success

Quinn helped build his new big boy bed yesterday. As we were putting the sheets on the mattress he was impatient to try it out. "Is it ready yet? Is it ready yet?" He immediately snuggled into his bed as soon as it was ready. We webcammed briefly with Nana to show her her Quilt Full Of Love deployed.

He has seemed very matter-of-fact about his new bed. He hasn't been nervous or excited. During his brief afternoon test drive he was keen to try it out, and he spent awhile in it, but he wasn't jumping up and down either.

At bedtime, he went to bed completely normally, pretty much as if nothing was different. We recently started taking Quinn for a pee when we go to bed to get him though the night (improved sleeps for all!) and when Bec went in this night we had a laugh, as Quinn was sprawled exactly sideways half way down the bed on top of the bedclothes. Through the night, he fell out once (we don't have a side-bar yet) although he was very dopey at the time, and had no recollection of it in the morning.

At 815am, I awoke refreshed (an unusual sensation for me...). Quinn was still sleeping, a solid hour past a normal big sleep-in (my day to get up.....yessssss!!!). I peeked in to make sure he was still in there - he was - and then awaited his awakening (another unusual sensation). He woke up at 830am chirping like a little bird and has been in a great mood all morning.

It seems the new bed is a 'rousing' success.

Troubadour Quinn

As we speak, Quinn is running around in circles banging a tambourine yelling Rudolf The Red Nosed Reindeer at the top of his lungs while his piano repeats Jingle Bells at top volume. It's a good thing there's a high cute factor. He just wowed Brent The Electrician with an impressive rendition of The Wheels On The Bus. Oh - now he's onto Jingle Bells, albeit at a different rate than the piano. I'm getting heck for not playing my tambourine part right so now I'm resorting to 1-hnded hunt n pecking while I also play out of time...

It brings me back to Santa at the community centre. Quinn had studied the pianist's kazoo accompanist during the caroling. After the event was largely finished he wandered up to look at the kazoo. He got permission to try it. He blew and blew and blew harder. I told him to say the letter 'm' with a big finish. Quinn: blow. Mommy: 'Mmmmmm'. Quinn: blow. Daddy: 'Mmmmm'. Quinn: Blowmm. Eye twinkle. Daddy: "Yeah that's it". Quinn: MMMzzzz. Grin! And a kazoo star is born. He played it for 20 minutes solid, traipsing around the centre very earnestly, causing mirth for all. Now, I'm not sayin' I'm anxious to listen to it in the car all the way to Nova Scotia, but he did quite a fine job of it.

Reminds me a joke I once heard: "Zamfir, suppose I took up the pan flute at 7, how long would it take me to master it? Zamfir: Oh about 7:15.

Santa - a close encounter

A Christmas event at the community centre was on a Friday evening in early December. On the way there, Quinn was talking about the questions he was going to ask Santa - where does he live and why does he like the cold? There was a good crowd there - not overcrowded but enough to be a festive crowd. Someone was playing carols on the piano and people were singing. Quinn walked right up front to watch them and covered his sensitive ears with his hands, eliciting some smiles. The mother of a little girl the Bec takes care of sometimes played some rousing and animated solos on a kazoo shaped like a trombone. Quinn studied the kazoo at length from afar, and held his ears.

Then the announcement was made that Santa was on his way. The crowd parted and there was the right jolly old elf himself. Some kids ran up, some ran away. Some were excited and some looked like they were about to burst into tears. It's a big deal coming face to face with magic! Quinn sidled over but seemed unsure. He seemed to be leaning towards the "burst into tears" camp but he hung on bravely. Finally he told his mom he wanted to go home. Ok, she said. Mommy started a slow pace toward the door. Just before the threshold he caught sight of a table where kids were making a Christmas craft. It piqued his interest and he got up to make one. He focused very intently on it for quite a few minutes and did a good job on it.

After a subsequent two crafts, mommy asked if he wanted to go see Santa, who had taken up station on a largish-chair. They walked over to check it out. A few kids were still in line and Quinn had a chance to study the situation. Finally, it was his turn. Mommy got down and held him, and he slowly edged toward Santa, who got down low with welcoming arms (good ol' Santa knows how to do it!). Quinn, all by himself, edged over and talked to Santa some, and finally climbed up into his lap! They chatted for awhile and a picture was taken of Quinn with a great big grin.

It had been a definite progression. During the crafts it looked to me like he was still processing things out of the corner of his eye. But he did it all by himself. That night at bedtime I told him how proud I was of him that he went up to talk to Santa. He told Bec that he could go talk to Santa because she gave him a hug, which made her aglow and canceled out at least 150 dirty diapers right there.

It makes you wonder how we'd all react in the face of magic. Study and approach thoughtfully seems like a life skill that would stand us all in good stead.

Excavator day!

Our house reno is getting under way. This morning I awoke to some beeping and went downstairs to find Quinn entranced by a truck picking up a dumpster. More beeping. Excavator has arrived. Sheesh Quinn, which window should we look out?? Dumpster guy had to rearrange the load so we ran to the front window to watch the excavator unload. Then dumpster guy started pulling the box onto the truck and we ran to the back window. Then the truck was gone and we ran to the front window to watch the excavator again. He picked up an extra bucket and drove into our yard. Quinn was practically vibrating with excitement, giggling, and grinning from ear to ear!

Shortly after he parked, our contractor's workers, Andrew and Steve, showed up and started the excavator again, picked up the extra bucket and drove into the back yard. Quinn sat on a chair by the back window, munched on some snack and watched the old garage concrete pad get ripped up in 15 minutes flat. Quinn was particularly excited that he might use the bulldozer blade (stabilizer) to push the rubble around, which he eventually did. Another 15 minutes took care of the asphalt and deck pilings.

I had to tear myself away from the excitement to go to work, but apparently Quinn got to sit in the cab during a break, and Andrew (who also has a son, 4) sat him in his lap and let him pull the levers. Apparently Quinn was telling Andrew what all the levers did. Andrew was impressed with his knowledge.

An excavator, Quinn's favourite thing, right here in our own back yard! Quinn was in heaven, and he lapped it up all day. A day that shall be forever ensconced in Quinn's memory as Excavator Day.

A master of vacuuming

The other day I had the hand vacuum out for something. Quinn got ahold of it when I set it down. He wanted me to turn it on for me. I encouraged him to do it himself. He wanted to cover his ears though (he's very sensitive to noise). I said maybe he could put on his earmuffs (ear protection we bought for him for taking him to concerts). He liked that idea. He found his earmuffs and wanted me to put them on for him. I encouraged him to do it himself, and showed him how. Then he wanted me to turn it on. I encouraged him to try it himself, using his two thumbs to press harder on the button, which is kind of stiff.

He then proceeded to vacuum everything in sight. The couch, the ottoman, the living room floor, the kitchen floor. I even moved some furniture to take advantage this outburst of industriousness. He took his earmuffs on and off, and turned the vacuum on and off, and was quite proud of doing so all by himself, all 27 times. Then he figured out how to empty it, which was a little messy, but no matter. The battery eventually died and that was the end of that, except for him chattering about it for another half hour.

The next day I got home from work to see him with the big vacuum cleaner out, earmuffs on, vacuuming like mad. He could turn it on and off, retract the cord, empty the bin in the kitchen garbage can, put the bin back on, lining up the notch, and start vacuuming again. He vacuumed for an hour.

Every now and then I have to remind myself he's two.

He's very serious and businesslike when he's putting his earmuffs and going to work, but also has a certain air of satisfaction in going about. I wonder if maybe he's mirroring me tearing down the garage a couple weeks ago, which Quinn watched intently. It's early to say for sure, but it appears he'll have a work ethic, and also safety consciousness, both of which please me. It makes me wonder whether it's just his nature, or whether early examples can be formative lifelong. Whatever the case, he is a master of vacuuming now, and proud of it.

Weekend at Grandma's and Grandpa's

It was our anniversary this weekend. Bec's parents offered to take Quinn for the weekend. Woohoo! We've been talking about it for awhile and Quinn seemed excited about it. It's a big step - first overnight not in the care of mommy or daddy. However, I strongly suspected the step was bigger for us than for him. They picked him up Saturday morning. Bec was a little forlorn but Quinn was like "can't wave now mom and dad - I'm eating my snack". Fortunately we had stuff to do to keep us busy for the afternoon.

One of the things that changes when you have kids is you become much more efficient with your time. I thought I was pretty time-efficient before kids but now I realize how far off the mark I was. Even still, we were astounded at the amount of fun and accomplishments we crammed into the slightly more than 24 hours Quinn was away. Most refreshing was the ability to go to a nice dinner at a normal time and not have to choreograph schedule around bedtime. No wait - it was the ability to sleep in. No wait - it was getting from the door to the car in less than half an hour. No wait - it was the ability to go to the spa together and spontaneously go for ice cream on the way home.

So many vestiges of lifestyles gone by. The relentlessness of parenthood is particularly high at this stage of going-on-three that Quinn is at and the break was sooooo welcome. But we missed the little gaffer even still. We were both quite excited when the call came that they were inbound. Quinn apparently had a wonderful time and didn't ask about us once. As usual, sleep was the only challenge. It sounds like everyone had fun, and while the grandfolk aren't exactly clamouring to come do it again next weekend, they sounded open to doing it again soon.

As often seems to happen with a scenery change, Quinn seems to have taken a mental leap forward. His speech is even more clear, he seems to grasp a few higher concepts I don't remember him knowing, and he can now jump. Yes jump - he's been quite behind on that front but we haven't sweated it since everything else, physical skills included, seems on track, but now he can do it. He seems quite proud of it too.

A great leap forward for all of us.

Can't see me now Uncle Brucie!

Those exact words were uttered by me when I was a kid as I covered my own eyes, figuring that if I couldn't see Uncle Brucie then he couldn't see me. That logic loophole now lives on yet again in Quinn. Yes, we've hit the hide and seek stage, and it leads to much mirth. He hides in plain sight under trees and yells "I'm over here!". He hides under his table in plain sight with arms and legs sticking out and giggles. And yes, sometimes he just stands there and covers his eyes.

It started one rainy evening we'd missed our (somewhat) nightly walk around the block, so I suggested hide and seek. Bec suggested hiding on the opposite floor for added exercise for Quinn. So count I did, slowly and loudly, and Bec and Quinn raced upstairs, as fast as I've seen Quinn take them. They hid under a blanket on the bed and I loudly explored around the house. As I got closer, Quinn giggled and said "I'm under here!" to laughter all around. Then Quinn and I hid downstairs while Bec counted. In all I think we did about 8 reps that night. He got a big kick out of it.

It's taking a little coaching, but he'll actually stay quiet occasionally if you're hiding with him if you whisper to him almost constantly. And of course it's difficult for a little monkey to keep still. But he has found a couple of legitimately great hiding spots, and as the journey is often more important than the destination, we all have lots of fun hiding right there in plain sight.