The big brother-to-be has been enjoying lots of fun times with both Mom and Dad while we anticipate the impending arrival of Zoe. He has attended two baby showers, and he seems to know there is a difference between the bath shower and a baby shower. (One means playing in water, the other means cake.)
I haven't often gotten off topic here, but I learned about a new website this week and wanted to share about it. Prezi is really a very interesting new program, and if you haven't heard of it, you should definitely check it out. It isn't flying cars or anything, but when they talk about how technology is changing, I think they are taking a step. I played with it and made the following presentation to share. It is only three "slides" and you can click through them by selecting the play button on the bottom of the viewer and you can make it full screen by selecting more on the bottom right.
Hope you enjoy.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Getting ready for Zoe
Q went with Katharine and I to the most recent doctor (midwife) appointment. He was great, helping to find Zoe's heartbeat and helping to measure his Mom's stomach. He talks about "Z" a lot and talks about how he will be the big brother.
After we uploaded the video, he wanted to watch the "heartbeat" several times. He kept coming back to the computer to say, "heartbeat." When we asked him whose heartbeat it was, he would tell us "Zoe".
After we uploaded the video, he wanted to watch the "heartbeat" several times. He kept coming back to the computer to say, "heartbeat." When we asked him whose heartbeat it was, he would tell us "Zoe".
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Birthday Bliss
Quinlan turned 2 years old a few weekends ago. Our little man keeps growing. It was a joy watching him go through the day and finally understand that the singing was for him.
Like a normal Sunday, he was up early, so he got his first present from Mom and Dad
right after waking up.
Checking it out - he knows he can do that too!
Swish!
Mossil and Fossil were given doctors' clearance to travel and were there to help celebrate. Fossil made his own special wrapping paper for Q, with a bunch of photos that he wanted to check out. I don't think he knew he was supposed to open this one up.
Reading his card from Grandma MJ and Grandpa Roy. The hungry caterpillar......POP!
(In case you're not sure what that means, Quinlan refers to the character "the very hungry caterpillar" as Pop because in the book he "pop"s out of his egg.)
Thomas DVDs, which are great because they are all 5 minute stories, so he can occasionally watch one story, and I don't get all alarmed about him watching too much TV.
Q picked out his cake flavors at the HEB with me, and then came home and helped his Mom mix it: vanilla pudding, white cake, and strawberry frosting. Katharine fancied it up by slicing fresh strawberries and putting them in between the two layers. It was yummy, and worth waiting for, as Q demonstrates here.
Blowing out some candles.
Like a normal Sunday, he was up early, so he got his first present from Mom and Dad
right after waking up.
Checking it out - he knows he can do that too!
Swish!
Mossil and Fossil were given doctors' clearance to travel and were there to help celebrate. Fossil made his own special wrapping paper for Q, with a bunch of photos that he wanted to check out. I don't think he knew he was supposed to open this one up.
Reading his card from Grandma MJ and Grandpa Roy. The hungry caterpillar......POP!
(In case you're not sure what that means, Quinlan refers to the character "the very hungry caterpillar" as Pop because in the book he "pop"s out of his egg.)
Thomas DVDs, which are great because they are all 5 minute stories, so he can occasionally watch one story, and I don't get all alarmed about him watching too much TV.
Q picked out his cake flavors at the HEB with me, and then came home and helped his Mom mix it: vanilla pudding, white cake, and strawberry frosting. Katharine fancied it up by slicing fresh strawberries and putting them in between the two layers. It was yummy, and worth waiting for, as Q demonstrates here.
Blowing out some candles.
Q was a great birthday celebrant, and I believe he is ready to help celebrate his sister's birthday, which is quickly approaching. Katharine saw one of the midwives this week, and she and Zoe are both doing great. Only a few more weeks to go! On the next visit (the 36-week over Spring Break), we're planning to bring Quinlan along to find the heartbeat and share in the excitement.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Snow and the "Big Boy Bed"; Plus a Z update!
(Jared is back at the helm.) I made an observation this week: Q has been running on two speeds, stop or go. When he is on go, it is like pressing the gas pedal all the way down on a turbo-charged engine: he runs everywhere. Ready to brush your teeth - run to the bathroom. Want to play blocks - run to the cabinet. Fortunately for now, his running speed is at a slow walking pace, so I can still manage to keep up. I am hoping he learns a casual stroll before he gets too fast, but it is great fun to see his genuine enthusiasm for everything.
We had a rare treat the first Friday in February. School was called on account for snow, real snow. We had several days of below-freezing temperatures, and then enough precipitation to shut the whole state down. If we lived up north I doubt this amount of snow would have resulted in a two-hour delay, but for Austin, it was a snow day.
Q getting ready to go outside, multiple layers everywhere.
This shot makes it look like there really was a lot of snow. It was pretty, but there were only between 1 and 2 inches on the driveway.
I figured cleaning off the driveway would help it from partially melting and refreezing as ice. Q helped sweep. You can see the grass barely had a dusting, but it stacked up on the driveway. I was very disappointed to see all our hard "sweeping" was wasted when everything was melted by the late afternoon. There were freezing temperatures again that night, but nothing was around to freeze.
After working and playing outside, Q had to warm up with some hot chocolate. He really enjoyed the marshmallows.
....and the next day, it was in the high 50s and we went outside to the park with no jackets. Sunday was even warmer and included more time outside.
"It's so nice and sunny, I need my sunglasses."
Katharine and I felt like we could help prepare Q for some of the many changes that are coming by introducing him to his new "big boy bed". We put a box spring and mattress on the floor, in the hope that it would be close enough to the floor that when he rolls off he won't be hurt (it happened last night, startling us all). I think we both planned on having it in his room and spending time sitting and reading on it, but neither of us expected him to sleep in it quite yet. We were surprised when he insisted on sleeping on it--first for his nap, then for his night. Maybe it was the new sheets we got for him - obviously, Q will do anything if it has Thomas on it.
Trying out the new bed and sheets
Big! Big Boy! Big Bed!
Katharine had her 31 week appointment on Monday to check on the continuing progress of baby Zoe. We have a video so that you can listen to her heartbeat. Zoe and Katharine are both doing great. She (Zoe) is kicking a lot, and it is fun to feel my active little girl moving around.
Q is getting ready to be a big brother. He has started shushing everyone, in case you come by for a visit in the future and "Babee Zee" (as he likes to call her) is asleep. At least I hope he is shushing so she can sleep. I am sure he will have many other big brother tips and tricks to share as well.
We had a rare treat the first Friday in February. School was called on account for snow, real snow. We had several days of below-freezing temperatures, and then enough precipitation to shut the whole state down. If we lived up north I doubt this amount of snow would have resulted in a two-hour delay, but for Austin, it was a snow day.
Q getting ready to go outside, multiple layers everywhere.
This shot makes it look like there really was a lot of snow. It was pretty, but there were only between 1 and 2 inches on the driveway.
I figured cleaning off the driveway would help it from partially melting and refreezing as ice. Q helped sweep. You can see the grass barely had a dusting, but it stacked up on the driveway. I was very disappointed to see all our hard "sweeping" was wasted when everything was melted by the late afternoon. There were freezing temperatures again that night, but nothing was around to freeze.
After working and playing outside, Q had to warm up with some hot chocolate. He really enjoyed the marshmallows.
....and the next day, it was in the high 50s and we went outside to the park with no jackets. Sunday was even warmer and included more time outside.
"It's so nice and sunny, I need my sunglasses."
Katharine and I felt like we could help prepare Q for some of the many changes that are coming by introducing him to his new "big boy bed". We put a box spring and mattress on the floor, in the hope that it would be close enough to the floor that when he rolls off he won't be hurt (it happened last night, startling us all). I think we both planned on having it in his room and spending time sitting and reading on it, but neither of us expected him to sleep in it quite yet. We were surprised when he insisted on sleeping on it--first for his nap, then for his night. Maybe it was the new sheets we got for him - obviously, Q will do anything if it has Thomas on it.
Trying out the new bed and sheets
Big! Big Boy! Big Bed!
I have to work on my night camera lens. I tried using a flashlight to get enough soft light to get a photo. It seems cruel to use the flash while he is sleeping, but it is also very challenging to get a good photo. He is very cute and has been sleeping very well on his new bed.
.............Zoe update...........
Katharine had her 31 week appointment on Monday to check on the continuing progress of baby Zoe. We have a video so that you can listen to her heartbeat. Zoe and Katharine are both doing great. She (Zoe) is kicking a lot, and it is fun to feel my active little girl moving around.
Q is getting ready to be a big brother. He has started shushing everyone, in case you come by for a visit in the future and "Babee Zee" (as he likes to call her) is asleep. At least I hope he is shushing so she can sleep. I am sure he will have many other big brother tips and tricks to share as well.
Quinlan and his daddy
This is a guest post by Katharine, mostly because I've taken the majority of these pictures, and they're showing off the special father-son relationship my two guys have. I love watching Jared be a daddy, and I love watching Quinlan learn how to be a man from his daddy. Here are some pictures that show what they've been up to during January and the beginning of February.
Daddy and Quinlan jam session--you can see that Jared's practicing with Quinlan's small guitar to keep his skills up while Q rocks the kazoo.
Dressing up in Daddy's ties is a fun way to play!
A late morning snuggle is always nice.
They're trying to figure out who causes more trouble--Q (whose shirt just says Trouble) or Jared, who's sporting Trouble Squared.
What happy guys they are! They certainly bring joy to my life every day!
I'm also going to include a picture that shows a lot of what we've been doing when it's been cold inside: puzzling! Quinlan loves building puzzles right now, especially those of the Thomas the Tank Engine variety. He's fairly good at them, too--of course, I think once you've done something a few (hundred) times, you probably should be pretty good at it. He's awfully tenacious, though.
In baby Z news, we have our 31-week doctor's appointment tomorrow, and everything seems to be going well. No gestational diabetes, and with the exceptions of a moderate amount of heartburn and a large amount of tiredness, things are pretty good. In case you haven't heard, the name we're going with is Zoe Maia. Zoe means life in Greek, and Maia means power or powerful--she was a daughter of the Titan, Atlas, in Greek mythology.
Like Quinlan Rian, Zoe's middle name is also a nod to her grandparents. Both grandmothers have M names, and there are couple of other M names in both of our families, so we tried to connect to family history in our own way.
So we've got a girl with a powerful life and a boy who's a well-formed man or son of a well-formed man. I don't know what that says about our gender roles, but we dig the names. We also busted out a twin bed for Quinlan today, and hopefully we'll post about how that's going soon, too.
In baby Z news, we have our 31-week doctor's appointment tomorrow, and everything seems to be going well. No gestational diabetes, and with the exceptions of a moderate amount of heartburn and a large amount of tiredness, things are pretty good. In case you haven't heard, the name we're going with is Zoe Maia. Zoe means life in Greek, and Maia means power or powerful--she was a daughter of the Titan, Atlas, in Greek mythology.
Like Quinlan Rian, Zoe's middle name is also a nod to her grandparents. Both grandmothers have M names, and there are couple of other M names in both of our families, so we tried to connect to family history in our own way.
So we've got a girl with a powerful life and a boy who's a well-formed man or son of a well-formed man. I don't know what that says about our gender roles, but we dig the names. We also busted out a twin bed for Quinlan today, and hopefully we'll post about how that's going soon, too.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Holidays - 2010
It was wonderful to experience the holidays with Q. He was so much more engaged this year, and when asked, he can now tell you that Santa says, "Ho, Ho, Ho!" We learned that he is a very careful unwrapper (i.e., a shredder), cherishing each tiny piece, and even occasionally tasting the wrapping and tissue paper. With family members in several locations, we survived 8 days of travel, which included the drive to Dallas, an airplane to Philadelphia, a trip to the doctor with a double ear infection and not enough sleep. All in all, it was wonderful, though we were very happy to return home to recuperate prior to returning to work.
As usual Q was the star of the show, whether we were with aunts and uncles, grandparents, or random strangers in the airport. Q is always ready with a smile and wave, and now either a cheery "Hi!" or a defiant "No!".
Here are some pictures from our holiday adventures.
Q helped his Mom make gingerbread cookies for her class. He liked rubbing the flour around on the counter and eating the dough.
Mailed presents were fun because they stretched the gifts over more time. Q loves his bike sent by Mossil and Fossil. So far he "rides" it up to the park and around the block.
Also arriving early was a tent from Pops and Nona Stina. The tent has a tunnel attachment that Q loves crawling through and tries to get his Mom and Dad into as well.
We started Christmas in Dallas with Grandma MJ and Grandpa Roy. Q had a great time visiting with his grandparents, as well as his Auntie Liz, Shawn, and Auntie Jenni.
New special monkey chair, check. My very own laptop, check. Life is good.
Thomas, James, and Percy too.
Trains are awesome!
Q got all sorts of toys, but Grandma's new salad spinner still looks pretty fascinating.
(Come on, can we cook now?)
After the time in Dallas, we flew up to Pennsylvania on Christmas Eve.
Q did great in the airport and on the plane. He really likes the Southwest boarding area which had blue stripes on the posts. Blue!!!
Christmas morning at Mossil and Fossils. Sick and tired, but happy.
At this point, he was getting pretty good at unwrapping presents and was ready to volunteer his services to other people who had things to open.
Sunday morning.
During one of our most interesting moments, Q put himself down for a nap, on the floor. He was a tired little dude.
We spent somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes outside, which wasn't too bad since we had a great jacket but not good pants or shoes. Q desperately wanted to stay out, until he decided he was finished and wanted to be carried back in, which happened to be an instantaneous decision.
The video of snow fun!
After the snow was shoveled and plowed we were able to visit with Pops and Nona 'Stina at their place where Q got to open yet another present. :)
A new bowling set!!!!!
As usual Q was the star of the show, whether we were with aunts and uncles, grandparents, or random strangers in the airport. Q is always ready with a smile and wave, and now either a cheery "Hi!" or a defiant "No!".
Here are some pictures from our holiday adventures.
We started early with an advent calendar made up of mittens. Each day (almost) Q found a little treat. One of his favorites, naturally, were Mint M&Ms.
Q helped his Mom make gingerbread cookies for her class. He liked rubbing the flour around on the counter and eating the dough.
Mailed presents were fun because they stretched the gifts over more time. Q loves his bike sent by Mossil and Fossil. So far he "rides" it up to the park and around the block.
Also arriving early was a tent from Pops and Nona Stina. The tent has a tunnel attachment that Q loves crawling through and tries to get his Mom and Dad into as well.
We started Christmas in Dallas with Grandma MJ and Grandpa Roy. Q had a great time visiting with his grandparents, as well as his Auntie Liz, Shawn, and Auntie Jenni.
New special monkey chair, check. My very own laptop, check. Life is good.
Thomas, James, and Percy too.Trains are awesome!
Q got all sorts of toys, but Grandma's new salad spinner still looks pretty fascinating.(Come on, can we cook now?)
After the time in Dallas, we flew up to Pennsylvania on Christmas Eve.
Q did great in the airport and on the plane. He really likes the Southwest boarding area which had blue stripes on the posts. Blue!!!
Christmas morning at Mossil and Fossils. Sick and tired, but happy.
At this point, he was getting pretty good at unwrapping presents and was ready to volunteer his services to other people who had things to open.
Sunday morning.
During one of our most interesting moments, Q put himself down for a nap, on the floor. He was a tired little dude.
It snowed while we were there. It was very different than last year when we got some snow in Dallas. This year's was a lot of very light and powdery snow. Q thought it was fun.
We spent somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes outside, which wasn't too bad since we had a great jacket but not good pants or shoes. Q desperately wanted to stay out, until he decided he was finished and wanted to be carried back in, which happened to be an instantaneous decision.
The video of snow fun!
After the snow was shoveled and plowed we were able to visit with Pops and Nona 'Stina at their place where Q got to open yet another present. :)
A new bowling set!!!!!
All in all, it was an awesome trip, surrounded by friends and family. We had a great time, and obviously, Q did, too!
Monday, December 20, 2010
24 down, 16 to go....
Katharine and I went to see the midwife and the medical practice this morning for her 24-week appointment. It was another quick visit without too many questions or too much new information. I was a little surprised when Liane handed me the Doppler to try and listen to Zoe's heartbeat. I kept searching and hoping maybe she would offer assistance or guidance, but I was left all alone to search and find our little girl all on my own. (Notice that he did it, too!)
We are excited about the Christmas holidays and know we have been somewhat sparse in our recent posts. We will try to capture some of Q's excitement to share in video and photo. If we don't see you to wish it in person, Merry Christmas!!!!!
We are excited about the Christmas holidays and know we have been somewhat sparse in our recent posts. We will try to capture some of Q's excitement to share in video and photo. If we don't see you to wish it in person, Merry Christmas!!!!!
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