Where did the last 8 months go?

Here is a picture that illustrates where the last 8 months went. It is really amazing.

Quinn is so observant. She realized that someone in our house needs to be able to paint, and since MJ can't live at our house then Quinn is going to step up!! Don't worry little Quinn there are still lots of walls with base white on them!!

Santa is coming! Santa is coming

So it seems we are in the enjoyable time between teeth. Quinn's appetite has returned to normal and the cold it gone. We really savour these times because we know it is just a matter of time before another little bugger shows up in her mouth.

As we gear up for little Quinn's first Christmas we are resisting the urge to get her all kinds of unnecessary items. We have to remind ourselves that she is only 9 months and we will probably need use of those funds in the years to come!

Quinn continues to work on her "Who the hell are you?" look everywhere we go. It is rather funny to us. We figure she must get that look because her parents are always so silly around her. We guess she figures there should be at least one serious person in the household.

I am sure that Santa will be very good to her. She will actually have her first chance to meet Santa very soon and we all know what kind of face she is going to give him.

Here is a picture of Quinn showing us her musical ability.

Teeth and Colds

Quinn has received her 8th tooth. It is in it's final stages of making the push through. By our calculations that is her 8th tooth before her 9th birthday. Or if we look at it a different way, it is her 8th tooth in 4 months (she got her first tooth after her 4 month birthday). Along the way we have noticed some crazy patterns that foreshadow the arrival of those little white devils. It seems that every second tooth Quinn gets a cold. She is now working on her 4th cold. We also know that her appetite drops quite a bit when they are coming. Finally we notice that sleep becomes erratic. It is quite humorous. As soon as Quinn gets the sniffles we immediately start fishing around her mouth looking for the impending tooth. Invariably we always find one.

We are always really impressed with how well Quinn deals with colds. She has her moments but is sure a trooper. She continues with the smiles and giggles in between sneezes and a running nose. As you can see in the picture below, her eyes says "I'M SICK", but her smiles says "I'M CUTE". I guess she has had enough practice that she knows the routine as well.

Last weekend we finally made the plunge to get car seats for our little monkey. It is probably overdue, we don't think the infant seat is supposed to have the kids feet dangling over the edge like that. A couple of times we might have inadvertently given her little tootsies a knock when carrying the seat. It is going to be a bit of adjustment not to have the infant seat around. We are either going to have to carry her or take the stroller. We are mostly going to go with the stroller option because she isn't as light as she used to be. It was sure nice to have her nap in the restaurant in the infant seat while we had a meal. Hopefully it is possible for kids to sleep in a high chair.

The kids at the Santa Clause Parade!

Here are the McLean girls and Quinn at the Santa Clause Parade.

This is picture of Quinn sleeping on the subway home. Santa puckered her out.

Santa Clause Parade!

This has now become an annual event for us to go down to the Toronto Santa Clause Parade. This is the 3rd year that we have gone and obviously the first year for Quinn. This yearly tradition was because of the McLean family in London. Dan and Nicole started bringing their family down and we decided we would join them. It makes for some interesting events every year. Always a lot of fun.

This year we bundled Quinn up with 2 pairs of pants, 2 shirts, a jacket and a hat. We also had a snowsuit as a back up. We left the house nice and early and got to the subway station about 2 hours or so before the parade and there already was a line up for the subway starting. We maneuvered the stroller down various hallways and areas to find the necessary ramps/elevators. Then got on the subway and we were off. It was Quinn's first subway ride and she maintained the same face that she usually gets when she is in an elevator or for that fact seeing anything new.... "What the heck have you two got me into this time". We had a strange guy sit right next to us which is pretty much the status quo when you are on the subway for longer than about 3 stops.

We got to our stop, made our way off and surprisingly it wasn't as crazy as we thought it would be. It was definitely busy but not that bad, probably because it was still 1.5 hrs from the start of the parade. We met the McLean's, headed up to street level and got our spots. Several people crossed the road and not sure if Brenda had a big sign on her but they always tried to get through where she was standing and use the stroller for support. Not sure what people are thinking when they do stupid things like that. Finally after a mild body check to some old guy we cut the passage off. Quinn was enjoying looking at all the people and we know she was really happy that her parents bundled her up.

The parade was great, lots of candy and chocolate being thrown out, we had a great spot right near the Tim Horton's. Lots of great floats. Quinn slept for a lot of the parade but we managed to keep her in the spirit as in the picture below.

The parade was way too long. It totalled almost 2.5 hours. With kids that is about 1 hour too long. The weather was great. Past years have really pushed our fortitude on making it an annual event but this year it was sunny and only a bit cold but not bad at all. Quinn slept for a lot of it and then when Santa finally made his appearance we tried to get her up but she was way too tired as you can see by the family photo below. Once Santa is past you it is time to head home. We got on the elevator, back down to the subway and back home. All in all a great day out for Quinn's first Santa Clause Parade.

Quinn's First Halloween

Quinn's Halloween pictures are posted at:

www.brelan.ca

They grow up so fast...

Quinn continues to get more and more stability as she grows and starts to really explore her world. When we looked at the picture below we couldn't believe how much she has grown. It really is quite amazing. It gives us a little glimpse of what she is going to look like as a toddler running around.

Out Little Pumpkin

With Halloween fast approaching Quinn decided to go out into the pumpkins to get her first real taste of Halloween when we visited Downey's market. It is funny that next year we will probably be running after her all over the place.

Quinn just gave birth to her 6th tooth! The last 2 teeth have the greatest comparison. The 5th tooth was by far the worst one of the bunch and conversely the 6th one was probably the easiest. Either way she had her moments but all in all took it very well.

Because we felt left out of all the teething issues that Quinn was having we both decided to feel the need to have some of our own oral issues that require dentist attention. We didn't take it as well as Quinn did!

Quinn still hasn't figured out how much fun splashing water is, or she just really doesn't care. In the bath and at swimming she seems to be just trying to figure things out instead of trying to get as many people as she can wet. I guess we should be thankful. She does have her own "Quigs Look". It isn't so much of a "I'm pissed at you" look but more of a "Who the hell are you" look. She seems to save her smiles for only special people. So you all should consider yourself extremely lucky if you have had the chance to experience it!

With Halloween coming up we have to plan our candy purchases with better forecasting. A couple years ago we were way off and the split was: 50% trick or treaters and 50% us. We will hopefully slant that way more in the favour of the kids this year!

New Pictures - Thanksgiving and more

New pictures are posted on the website. Our Thanksgiving pictures and some other pictures of Quigs with her friends and family.

http://www.brelan.ca/

New Pictures

New pictures of Quinn are posted on the website taken by Kanch in Brampton on Thanksgiving.
It is very apparent in a few of them that our little monkey is teething!!

www.brelan.ca

Do you have anything to declare???

We woke up Saturday morning and made an executive decision as we were organizing some documents (Quinn's birth stuff). We decided to take Quinn across the border. So we packed her up, got our documents, made a Tim's stop, and then were on the road by 9am. Quinn was going to cross the border for the first time.

The drive down wasn't particularly eventful as Quinn dropped in and out of sleep. She talked. She slept. Then she talked some more. We were suspecting the border would be quite busy because of the value of the Canadian dollar. When we got there it was backed up right across the bridge but to their credit it only took about 20 minutes to cross. When we got to customs Brenda's passport actually got us in the good books. This was definitely a first. The custom's officer had just got back from Galway, Ireland, come on.. what are the odds on that. We had a little chat and then were on our way. No questions asked.

We drove straight to the outlets and it was a total of just under 2 hours door to door (including the 20 minutes at the border). There was some shopping done and Quinn was again the big winner. We did get a few things for ourselves but definitely didn't load up. Had a Wimpy's burger and a Dunkin Donut (the first and last time, we have no idea why people like them) and then were on our way to the Walden Galleria.

Quinn fell asleep again so we decided to hit a Target while she was asleep. Brenda went in while Dad and Quinn hung out in the car. We couldn't believe how many Canadians were buying car seats and just chucking the boxes to head back. Interesting. Also very interesting that US car seats don't meet the same safety criteria as Canada. Oh well.

We got to the Walden Galleria and got a few things and then went to The Cheesecake Factory (picture below). It was another good visit there and will tie us over for the next little while. Quinn was great the whole trip. We packed her up and then headed for home. It was close to her bedtime so we thought we would give her the last bottle when we crossed the border. Much to our surprise she couldn't wait.

We stopped at the casino on the US side and in the parking lot Brenda (aka Supermom), changed her on her lap and got her into her sleeper, all in the front seat in about 15 minutes flat. She then gave her last bottle and we were on our way. 30 minutes at the border on the way back. The customs officer was nice and we were through. Home by about 9:30 or so. All in all a good day and lots of fun with Quinn.

Teething Sucks!!

I don't think we realized when Quinn started teething that it never stops. Poor kid just doesn't get a break. Every day or so she is struggling with the chicklets and we are starting to see lots more little bumps coming, which mean there are new additions to the family on the way.

One of the main things that sucks about teething is that Quinn doesn't get a good stretch of sleep. She wakes up way more frequently. As you can see below she fell asleep in the jolly jumper. What kid falls asleep in the jolly jumper? Poor little princess was exhausted and it finally got the better of her. What we do like is that when we took her out and she woke up she didn't cry at all. She did give both of us dirty looks, but no tears.

Quinn has also recently improved her ability to get excited as well as stay stabilized. Previously a flurry of her hands would have send her toppling over. Now she is able to readjust and stay upright.

New Face & The Film Festival

With the 4 teeth now here it seems to have been a catalyst for Quinn to develop a new face. We aren't really sure what it is but we believe she thinks it is a REALLY BIG SMILE. We call it her scrunch face and it is hilarious (as you see below).

Quinn hasn't been feeling the greatest the last day or so but you wouldn't know it from all the smiles and scrunches she is handing out!

Mom and Dad attended 3 films over the last week as part of the Film festival and got to see some stars that attended. The films we saw were: Before the Devil Knows your Dead (good movie, very film festival style), Poor Boys Game (ok movie, but predictable), and Rails and Ties (good movie, better than you would think). The stars we saw were: Donald Sutherland, Danny Glover, and Kevin Bacon. Kevin Bacon was sitting pretty close to us and we were hoping he would kick it "Footloose" style, but no such luck... We were really lucky to make it to the Film Festival and a big thank you to Aaji and Aaja who looked after Quinn when we were out. Quinn got her first Brampton sleep over. We know that Aaji and Aaja loved every minute of their time with Quinn. From all the smiles and giggles Quinn gave them we are pretty sure she had a blast too!!

TWINS!!!

After a couple weeks of grueling labour with very little pain control medication, Quinn gave birth to twins today!! Both top teeth finally broke through. Quinn and both the kids are doing fine. She is steadily building her family of chicklets!

I know the picture isn't flattering and some people will say "poor Quinn" but we needed the proof. We have found that most people can't believe Quinn has any teeth, let alone 4!!!

Hopefully Quinn will rest soundly now that the kids are here and give mom and dad a nice 12 hour sleep at night.....

2 Teeth

For all of you that haven't seen our little Quinn with her 2 new teeth, here is a picture. Looks like we have a couple other teeth that are ready to join the party in the next couple weeks!!

Pictures Posted

Some new pictures (Dad's 70th & Orlando) posted at http://www.brelan.ca/

Back from Orlando

We got back from Orlando this week and spent our first extended period away from Quinn. The weather in Orlando was hot...... 103 degrees F. You could actually feel yourself melting.. However, unlike the heat in places like Vegas, this heat had some serious humidity and it felt like you were wearing it all day. We took some day trips and stayed and a great place about 5 minutes from Disney World. For the first couple days there we didn't even attempt to venture into the Magic Kingdom because we just figured Mickey wouldn't let us in without some crazy admission fee. We were wrong. There is tonnes of stuff to do there from Downtown Disney to Universal Studios without having to pay anything.

We made the trip to Tampa..... that was 120 miles that we wish we could have had back. There really wasn't anything of note in Tampa. There is the water... Some old town with a Starbucks that has a really bitter girl working there.

In Orlando, we did some great shopping (80% for Quinn), and went to eat at some really great places. Of course we made it to the Cheesecake Factory but we also go the opportunity to go to The Melting Pot. The last time we were there was 5 years ago and it was well worth the wait. Not too sound too much like a restaurant review but the Cheese Fondue was amazing, the main course with the broth for the meat had so much flavour and the desert chocolate fondue with caramel and peanut butter was unreal..... If you ever get a chance to go there, you have to make the trip. Look how happy we are below!!!

We were getting some good updates from Quinn's Nead mosi on how she was doing. She was a busy little girl in London. Unfortunately or Fortunately, whichever way you look at it, she probably didn't even know we were gone. Quinn was really pampered and got all the attention any 5 month old could ever want from all her uncles, aunts, grand parents, and cousins!! She even kicked Nead mosi and Uncle Radu out of their room so she could get a little privacy. Nead mosi and Uncle Radu returned our daughter happy and safe... just like we thought they would..... They also provided a beautiful book (lots of work by Sue mosi) that outlined the events of the week in London for Quinn. Thank you to everyone that cared and provided so much love for our little monkey.

Now we can say TEETH!!

Little Quinn through many days of tough labour finally gave birth to her second shiny tooth! Both tooth and infant are doing well. She celebrated the event with one hell of a butt explosion!!
For those that have trouble reading between the lines or even reading the lines, Quinn's second tooth finally poked through. It was getting tough to watch her struggle the last couple of days but it finally came. In the car she was telling us all about the experience, and what a story it was. Too bad neither of us could understand her!!
We now sit patiently and wait for the delivery of the rest of the bunch!

Teeth!! Or should we say TOOTH!

Quinn has now reached another milestone. She has a tooth.... We figured last week that the teething process had begun as she was a little off and we could see two bumps on her bottom gums that looked remarkably like teeth. We had read all kinds of crazy stuff about baby's having those bumps for months and no teeth actually making an appearance. We were ready for the worst. Then on this past Saturday at Walmart, the first tooth poked through. We figure it happened Friday night as she woke up screaming, which is not normal for her. Anyways the tooth is here. Now we are just waiting for the rest of the Chiclets to come in. We are hoping for a quick process but since she is still sporting the one, we are losing faith.
Quinn took her first ride in a jolly jumper. Her initial impressions of the device were not good. However, within a couple minutes she was off. We could tell that by the look on her face she is getting her first taste of true independence. She is also really active with her legs and we can envision her face planting in the door frame. Do they have jolly jumper helmets??? We also swear she turns away from us when she just wants to be alone. Little Monkey!!

The magic 3 month mark

Mom and dad figured it out.... There is no magic 3 month mark. In fact most people mislead us. When Quinn was 1-2 months old they all said just wait till she gets 3 months and then she will start sleeping well. As soon as Quinn starting getting close to the 3 month mark then the stories switched. It was all about that 4 month mark. We have decided to stop chasing that carrot!! We have even heard rumours of the 6 month mark. We now took matters into our own hands. It is amazing what a heartfelt conversation with a 3 month old can do. We spent a couple days of recurring conversations with Quinn about the value of sleep and it really worked like a charm. She now falls asleep on her own and is getting to be pretty regulated in the nights. We figure if they all can mislead us...... Okay maybe we decided to take a different route. We implemented a specific bedtime routine that really worked well.

Our family is now starting to actually resemble real life. We go out for dinner. We plan ahead for stuff and we can have tonnes of interactive time with Quinn.

Mom got some pictures done for Father's Day with Quinn and Dad. An example of one of the pictures is below.

We have decided that Quinn might have bipolar tendencies. She can go from the loudest cry (for her) to the biggest laugh and giggle. We love it when it swings in our favour and most of the times that is the way it goes. However, there are times it goes horribly wrong.

Mom has had a chance to get out and enjoy the great weather with Quinn but it seems her concern over the sun for Quinn should have been placed on her as well. She got a couple of real bad burns being out in the sun. Then again it doesn't take much. Quinn and Dad will always have to look out for the lighty.

New Pictures of Quinn

More pictures posted at www.brelan.ca

Catching some rays....

We have started to get Quinn down to a specific schedule around bedtime. We work in a bath, feed, tummy time, and a story all in an intricate process to get her into bed and asleep. We have seem some positive results so we are enthusiastic that we are on the right track.

Mom and Quinn attended the Global BBQ and a good time was had by all. The weather was good and the sun was warm. Dad wasn't there but knew that the sun was hot from mom's forehead. Quinn also got a little colour. Dad easily figured out what sunglasses mom was wearing from the tan lines on her face. Poor mom, she doesn't tan well at all. It would seem that dad was able to give the tan gene to Quinn.

We finally got a camcorder. It is amazing the things we can record now. We have some prime moments captured already and realistically we couldn't have waited another week to get it. Quinn is doing new stuff every day.

Enjoy the Summer Weather!!

This weekend we all visited London and Anna Mosi made a great Summer BBQ pool party for all of us. It was a great time. We really got a chance to enjoy the weather. Quinn got her first taste of pool life. We had to get her in a swimsuit that would be suitable for her. As you can see above it was a day fit for a superhero! She was a little put off by the pool at first but we quickly figured it was the sun in her eyes she didn't like but loved the water. In fact she loved it so much she feel asleep in the POOL!!

Sue Mosi babysat Quinn so mom and dad could go out for dinner. The dinner wasn't the greatest and the service absolutely sucked. It was a French restaurant and it seems they took the tradition of French restaurants too much to heart. For those of you that don't know, French restaurants are notorious for great food and terrible service. They got the terrible service right on but they have a long way to go for the great food. A quick dinner with friends turned into a 3 hour marathon. When we got back to pick up Quinn at about 9:30pm she was fast asleep in her stroller in the Rand living room since 8:30pm. She transferred to the car seat with a little bit of a stir but that was the last we heard of her until 5:30am the next day!! We didn't want to disturb her when we got home so just put the car seat in the crib. For all you non-parents that might sound crazy, but for all you parents, you will totally understand! So based on some quick math, that is 9 hours of straight sleep!! We aren't keeping our hopes too high and are just putting the cause of such great sleep to a long day in the sun....

If you didn't think she could get any cuter...

This picture is just in case you didn't think she could get any cuter.....

Weekend on the Go

This weekend the family spent more time out on the go instead of at home. Saturday had Quinn spend some time with Aaji and Aaja while mom and dad worked out, then we all went out to lunch, then ran some errands, did some shopping and then grabbed some dinner. On Sunday, Quinn had more time with Aaji and Aaja as mom and dad worked out again, out to the mall, go for lunch, then out for dinner. We all were really on the go, as mom and dad often do. Quinn is now starting to get the idea. As you can see by the pictures below Quinn is making herself quite comfortable at home. Lounging on the sofa with the remote then styling with mom's sunglasses. You can also see that her shirt don't lie...... Thanks to the Global girls for such an appropriate outfit.... CUTIE INDEED!!!!

Quinn: Then and Now

Here are two pictures showing how Quinn has changed:

4 days old

11 weeks old

Weekend for Mom and Dad

This past weekend, grammy was good enough to come down and look after Quinn so Mom and Dad could get away for a weekend alone.

We went across the boarder and stayed at the Seneca Casino in Niagara Falls, NY. It was a great time. However, we quickly remembered that americans can smoke in the casino. Brenda made a point of sitting at the $0.05 slots just so she could get 1 free drink.
We both came to the reality that we are now parents when we were on the elevator down to dinner and realized we both had spit up on our shoulders.... awww Quinn.

We made a trip to the outlet malls and Quinn was in our hearts as well as our pocket books as we did some serious shopping for her!! Mom had to remind herself don't Over Pink Quinn!! Too much pink isn't a good thing!!

On the Sunday we then had a chance to have a spa day together at St. Annes. It was relaxing as we both got massages and wrap treatments. The lunch and tea was also amazing. It will definitely be something we do again.

When we got home on Sunday grammy and Quinn looked like two peas in a pod. They even were lucky enough to get stuck in a rain storm together. Quinn came out of it a lot better than grammy!

Here are some more recent pictures of Quinn showing how she is not only getting bigger and stronger but also cuter!!

May 22, 2004 - Happy Anniversary

To Bren,

3 years ago today I was lucky enough to marry my absolute best friend. Looking back on the past 3 years we have been through so much. There have been some tough times but they are a strain to remember. My memory is only full of the great times. The times when we laugh so much that both our face and bellies hurt. This is the first year we have our Quinn in our life and today is a day we remember the amazing day that marked the beginning of us as husband and wife. However, our partnership began long before that. Our lives were already irrevocably connected when we said "I DO".


Thank you Bren for the past 3 years of joy and the infinite years of happiness ahead of us.

Lots of Love
Milan

More Quinn Pictures

New pictures posted at: http://www.brelan.ca/

Family Day Out

Today the whole family spent the day out and we didn't even need car keys. We walked up to the shopping area. Looked in a bunch of stores, bought some stuff, Quinn slept, got some groceries and then grabbed a bite. It was great for us to all have a day out of the house that was so enjoyable and Quinn was a perfect little 7 week old. She slept for most of the excursion but was awake in the restaurant and acted like a little lady. She had her food then sat in her car seat and then peacefully dozed off. These are the days mom and dad were hoping for when Quinn came into this world. Hopefully there will be more in the future, but we aren't putting too much pressure on her as she is just turning 8 weeks this week.

It is amazing what a different little girl Quinn is when she has her fair share of nap time. It is definitely a Jekyll and Hyde contrast. It is OK, we love her either way, but love seeing more Jekyll and less Hyde.....

Here is a Pic of Quinn in her swing as the KING OF THE JUNGLE!!

Nead Mosi

Quinn was lucky enough this past week to be able to spend some quality time with her Nead mosi. Her Nead mosi not only spoiled her with tonnes of attention and affection but also got her all kinds of cool/cute stuff. Nead mosi was also able to viscously twist mom and dad's arm to take the night duty and get to spend even more time with Quinn. She was even lucky enough to have some sweaty forehead sleepy cuddles with Quinn. Nead mosi was a very defensive stroller pusher and ensured that Quinn was a safe distance from any possible oncoming traffic on their long walks.

It was a sad parting when Nead mosi was unable to extend her visit anymore, but this is just the beginning as Quinn really loved her time with her Nead mosi and is sure there will be a lot more in the future.

Shopping for Quinn

This past weekend we felt compelled to go out and get Quinn some toys. Over the past week she has been far more interactive and we didn't exactly nurture that environment. It is amazing all the different toys out there. Both of us were really excited to go out and get things for Quinn that we can genuinely see she loves. As you can see by the picture above she got spoiled and we wouldn't want it any other way.

Quinn got a nice visit from her Aisling Mosi and Nead Mosi yesterday and Quinn really enjoyed her time with them. Nead Mosi was able to take some time off to spend the week with Quinn which gives mom and dad (more mom) a much deserved break.

Quinn is getting more settled in this new life of hers. We see her more and more doing things that are unique to her. She is so entertaining for both of us and continues to do things that makes us laugh. I mean come on.... how cute is she???

Quinn 6 weeks old..

Quinn has giving mom some quite eventful days and Dad some eventful evenings. She is doing great and just seems to change her schedule whenever she feels like it. She definitely has dad's patience (not a good thing). Sleep still sucks and not because Quinn is doing anything crazy, it is just we are not a big fan of broken sleep. We are both sure in third world countries they use broken sleep as a tactic to break people...

We both look at Quinn in early pictures and see her now and can't believe how much she has grown and changed. She now is quite content in the vibrating chair or the Rain Forest swing. However we still can't get her to sleep in there. We aren't complaining as this gives us some great time to enjoy dinner and get some stuff done. She continues to show us new faces and new sounds all the time which keeps both of us rather amused.

The good weather has been great for Mom as she has been walking up a storm with Quinn. Quinn loves the walks and Mom even got adventurous yesterday and sped up the pace to a jog...

Grammy gets some Quinn time

Grammy and Grampy came down this week and Grammy got a chance to experience all the glory that is Quinn. She also gave mom and dad a great break. It was the first time in over a month that Mom and Dad slept in the same bed which was a wonderful gift. It is amazing how much can get done when you have an extra set of hands to help.

Grammy and Quinn were like peas in a pod all week and Quinn didn't want it any other way! It was an emotional time when Grammy finally had to leave. Quinn got all choked up and gave dad a hard time Friday night just to make sure we both knew she missed her grammy.

What's so funny??

John Mayer

Last night we went out to the John Mayer concert and left Quinn with Aaji and Aaja.
John Mayer put on a great show and we had floor seats which was a first for both of us. We were actually sitting right at centre ice at the ACC. John Mayer did most of his new stuff and some of his popular stuff from previous albums. The only song he didn't do was Daughters. We had a great time but it was a long night for two sleep deprived parents. Brenda took it like a champ and only started really fading on the ride home.
John Mayer did a lot of guitar stuff and his concert was relatively similar to Eric Clapton's concert. This is no surprise because in his latest album he states "Thanks to Eric Clapton. I stole everything from him and he is cool with it." A good time all around.

On our toes

Quinn continues to keep us on our toes as she changes and gets older. We just can't seem to figure her out totally. Mom and Dad spend countless hours philosophizing on what we should do/try. We mix it up, we keep it consistent. Trying to get that formula just right.

It is so hard not to give Quinn everything at a moments notice. We both strongly feel that we would have no problem being rigid with her if she wasn't so DAMN CUTE!!!

We sometimes find ourselves trying to rationalize with Quinn to "Help us Help you". Needless to say that doesn't have a very high success rate.....

Give Quinn some credit

Quinn had a decent night as well are still trying to figure her out. She is just 4 weeks old and we are really lucky at what a good baby she is. We should give her more credit. She eats and sleeps and only cries when something is wrong. She is interactive and funny to watch. Consider this blog as PROPS TO QUINN.....

We continue to experiment with her feedings to see how we can sculpt it into more of a parent friendly schedule...

We are also experimenting with her daily routine, naps and sleeping position to see if we can find the magic combination.

The adventure continues....

Quinn Quinn Quinn

Quinn is starting to get quite the personality on her. We are both sure that there are times Quinn is definitely mad at her mom and dad for the things we put her through like baths and sprays.

She seems to be sleeping a little better as she gets settled into her new life. We are also getting settled in her new life as we start to get something of a schedule. Unfortunately the schedule is Quinn's and not ours.

4 Weeks old...

Quinn is 4 weeks old today and celebrated with a tough day for mom. She (and mom) are still trying to find a good schedule. The night was decent but the day was not the greatest.

Tonight will be an adventure for sure and we will have to see what little Ms. Quinn has in store for mom.

We are still reminding ourselves.. she is only 4 weeks old.... she is only 4 weeks old...

Easter

Quinn had her first Easter weekend and it was quite the experience to travel all around with her. She was good for most of the weekend, however, the extended time with her aunts and uncles in London was great but the long drive back threw her off a bit and made her not a happy camper. All in all she had a good trip but we have to work better on the planning as with that drive and her age you have to plan it to the minute!

She then spent time seeing her Aaji, Aaja, and poowa. She had a big and not so glamorous first. She threw up for the first time and it was projectile. It was rather like the exorcist and it just kept coming . We felt terrible for her as she was obviously initially scared. She calmed down pretty quick. Her poowa took some great pictures of her.

Overall Quinn scored some great chocolate (Daddy was happy) and got tonnes of attention.

Last night mom and dad put her on the sofa to see what she would do and she almost turned over by herself. She is definitely strong. She pulled her head out of my hand for almost 3 seconds.

Her sleep last night was not that great and mom suffered. She did go to the doctor today and she is up to 8lbs 7 ounces!! Our little chunker! We are glad that weight is not an issue for her.

Easter Photos

From yesterday, in Bramalea, are here:

http://brelan.ca/2007_easter/



k.

Instruction Manual.....

Quinn had a bit of a rough night last night. She wasn't her usual self. Through trial and error we figured out that she must be going through a growth spurt as she is taking almost a full ounce of food more than normal. It would have been a lot easier if she had just told us instead of us trying so many other things.

We are going to deck Quinn out all this weekend for Easter. She will be doing more clothes changes than if she was hosting the Oscars!!

We are loving her imitating us. She tries to do just about anything we do... Which leads us to the fact that everyone kept saying she was smiling... She was in fact smiling but that is only because she was copying everyone that was looking at her... A smile none the less...

Mr. Mom

Dad took over the night duties to give mom a rest and all went OK. Quinn was up about every 3 hours, had a diaper change and some food then back to bed. Mom really enjoyed the extra sleep and was recharged today.

Mom will try and get more sleep today with some naps and then hand the duties over to dad for the night.

Quinn now seems to think that 6am is her wake up time to face the day. We think a lot differently. We try to convince her that it is still night but then the sun comes up and ruins everything.

Could this be the trend???

We are not sure if it was the temperature in the room, the time we put her down, when we fed her, or just a really good poop before bed bud Quinn had a really decent night. She was up just after midnight then slept to almost 4am and then not up again till 7am.
Mom also got her first decent amount of sleep. The night sleep along with the nap from yesterday when grammy and Nead mosi were babysitting went a long way to recharging mom.
We are now desperately hoping that last nights sleep wasn't an anomaly but the trend. We will see how tonight goes.
Quinn is getting all geared up for Easter. We think she knows it is all about chocolate and can't wait to take part.
She is also really copying everything we do. She sticks her tongue out, smiles, blinks, and does all kinds of faces imitating us. I am sure we will regret showing her how to do those faces later.....

First Night In The Crib... Mom gets a rest

Last night Quinn spent her first night in her crib and it went pretty good. She slept more than the night before in the bassinet. We were worried she would absolutely hate it and we would be screwed. She is a pretty easy going baby.

Her Grammy, Grampy Mick, and Nead Mosi came down to see her today and gave mom a little bit of a rest. It was a well deserved rest for mom. Quinn got spoiled all day which she definitely deserves. She lived the good life having 2 nanny's at her disposal.

We are going to try the crib again tonight and see how that goes. For a baby that is only 3 weeks old Quinn is an absolute gift to our family. We can't believe how much character she is showing us and continues to amaze us with her ever changing faces.

Quinn got weighed again today and is up to 7 lbs 15 ounces... up 2 ounces in 1 day and is growing like a weed!

Our every changing Quinn

Quinn is still getting used to being in her room. It might be the fact that the room is cold or it might be the fact that it isn't the room she has been sleeping in but she is having a hard time getting adjusted.

Mom is trying her best to get her comfortable in the new surroundings but along with an apparent growth spurt she isn't exactly going with the flow.

We are still reminding ourselves.... only 3 weeks old.. only 3 weeks old.. only 3 weeks old.....

New Routine

Today is dad's first day back at work.
Quinn must miss him a lot because she didn't have the greatest night and mom took the full load of it. Both her and mom are getting settled into the new routine of not having dad around. They are both learning together.

We will have to wait and see how the evening turns out...

3rd night...

Quinn had her 3rd night in a row with some good consistency with going almost 4 hours between feedings. We think she has almost turned the corner around understanding day and night. She is having pretty regular naps and knows that the bassinet means bed.

It will be an interesting next couple of days as Dad returns to work. It will be a whole other learning curve.

It is now easier to put Quinn in the different seats we have and not have to worry about her getting fussy. She is pretty good at just sitting there and entertaining herself.

Quinn is going to have her first holiday next weekend, Easter. We will see how that goes. Hopefully she gets dad a lot of chocolate.....

Square One..

Yesterday Quinn made her first visit to Square One as mom and dad had some things to do. It was a bit of a battle... Parents vs. Quinn.

We would call it a draw but mom and dad aren't going to lose this war. It seems there is something that Quinn doesn't necessarily love about the child seat. It is a bit of a struggle. Whether little Ms. Quinn knows it or not she is going to learn to love that seat. Mom and Dad do too much driving for her not to like it.

Do we actually have some consistency?

Quinn wasn't feeling the greatest yesterday so mom and dad weren't sure the type of night they would have. As it turns out Quinn slept very much the same as the night before about 3-4 hours between feedings and pretty content in the bassinet. We don't want to jinx ourselves but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

We are looking to make some good use of this weekend before dad has to go back to work.

Shane Mosa came to see Quinn today as he was in the area.

We will look to have a power packed day with Quinn today and get out of the house.

Quinn's Good Night

Quinn had a really good night last night. It seems mom and dad found a good position that Quinn likes in the bassinet. It looks a little uncomfortable but she seems to like it. She had a good 2.5 ounces before bed. Slept for almost 3 hours. Woke up took another almost 3 ounces then back to bed. She was really good.

In the morning Mom and Dad both looked at her and decided that she has changed. We are both not sure if it is just the fact that we got some sleep or she has actually changed. She is growing now for sure. She has filled out a couple of her sleepers and we can feel the added weight when we carry her.

It is nice that her schedule seems to be moving in the right direction. We think she might be getting better at figuring out when is day and when is night. We are hoping of more of the same tonight but we are being realistic as well.

Yesterday Quinn's bellybutton finally fell out. It looked like a little raisin and it seems a little sore but it is a milestone nonetheless!!

Mom and Dad's First Night Out.

Last night Mom and Dad had their first night out to celebrate their 4 year anniversary of when they got engaged and had their yearly visit to The Keg. Quinn had her first babysitting time with Aaji and Aaja. Aaji changed her first disposable diaper. Quinn slept like a little princess with them and just woke when we came by to pick her up 2 hours later.

Dad broke down and was the first to call and check up on Quinn and Aaji to see how it was going. Mom took great joy in the fact that it wasn't her calling.

Lots of Firsts...

Last night had some good moments.... fed at 11:00 didn't wake till almost 1am.... and some bad moments... eat at 1:30 and didn't go back to bed till almost 3am.

We are still working through Quinn's preferences..... We are still reminding ourselves.... she is only just over 2 weeks old!

Quinn got her first ride in the Lexus today. Mom said she didn't know but Dad is confirmed that Quinn knew she was riding in style!

Quinn also had her first ride in an elevator as well as her first time at the mall. After we dropped the Saab off for service we went to Sherway Gardens to look around. It was an interesting experience to actually shop for our daughter instead of a "baby on the way".

We both looked at her today and can't believe how much she has changed in the last 2 weeks. She doesn't look like a "fresh one" any more.

A couple people commented that she was big for only 2 weeks old. Mom and Dad's hard work is paying off. We also notice that Quinn's feet are now going all the way to the end of the sleepers. They grow up so quick.....

Quinn is changing

Well today might be the most we have seen Quinn change yet. She didn't sleep much but was pretty alert all day. Had a few "episodes" but they were all easily explained.. dirty diaper or hungry or gas.

She really showed us her eyes today. She took in more food on a regular basis and was very content. We did note that she does not like being in a shopping cart at Canadian Tire because they have tile floors which make for a very bumpy ride!!

We are hopeful that tonight will go well but we are also realistic... Mom and Dad keep reminding each other she is only 2 weeks old!

Quinn and Mom

Quinn and Mom spending some quality time....

zzzzzzzzzzzz.....

Quinn seems to love her sleep... The only problem is that it is at 3pm in the afternoon and not at 2am in the morning. We gave her a bath last night which woke her up so we could feed her then put her down to sleep. Seems she didn't go for that. She was asleep in our arms but didn't carry that over to the bassinet.

We are both thinking that she just doesn't like the bassinet. It doesn't matter what we do she doesn't like it. We also find she is a lot more congested laying in the bassinet than she is when she is laying on the bed or on the sofa. We will have to try a new angle tonight..

Last night Mom and Dad didn't get much sleep and were hoping for a lot more. We will try maybe actually getting her into the crib. We know her issue is that she has trouble breathing in the crib. When she is laying in the bed or in our arms or on the sofa or on the floor she is fine.. all flat surfaces. It is like a mystery that we have to figure out. If she could speak she could just tell us. I guess THIS must be the fun of parenting....

Tough Love...

Yesterday we really started focusing on getting more time between Quinn's feedings. The one drawback to this is increased crying. However it did pay off as she slept for about 4 hours before the first feeding. That gave mom and dad a good stretch. We now have a good idea how to go after that illustrious good nights sleep. We aren't going to push her but we aren't going to give in so easily with the bottle.

Quinn had her first road trip in her stroller.. New pictures are posted at www.brelan.ca
The stroller handled beautifully in the trip to her grandparents. I am not sure her grandparents understood that we walked over as her Aaji asked us where the car was. They then called us a couple times to make sure we got home. Not sure where they think we would have gone. They were also stressed out because Quinn was getting hungry and we weren't feeding her right away... we know it is a process.

Quinn got weighed again today and is up another 2 ounces to 7lbs 3oz. This is good news as we can really focus on getting her schedule down.

Quinn made her first visit to a restaurant with mom and dad. We went to Kelsey's for lunch. Quinn was really good but near the end of the lunch her patience was wearing thin...

This parenting thing isn't at all like riding a bike. Bikes don't keep changing every couple days....

We have a 7 pounder!!

Quinn got to the scales today...
And in the red corner... wearing the Pampers Swaddlers... weighing in at a mean 7lbs and 1 oz......... The Mighty Quinn!!
We are so proud of her breaking the 7lb mark and going above her birth weight. The doctor was really good and gave us some great ideas on getting her more time between feedings now that she is above her birth weight. He also gave us a possible solution to her snoring... wondering if it will work on mommy too?

We are now going to be focussed on getting her past 2 hours between feedings. Tonight will be our first test.

Quinn got her first taste of Costco today. She would have made Nana (Grampy Mick) proud. She was a regular rock star in there with everyone wanting to see her and get a good look. It was also mom and dad's first time taking her into a store. We probably could have used 2 carts. One for all her stuff and one for the stuff we bought!

We are a family deep on the learning curve!!

Hungry Hungry Hippo....... or Not

Quinn was up every 1.5 hours last night. She seemed to be more hungry than normal which was ok if she would actually eat more than 1/2 oz. before falling asleep again.

It was a tough night for mom as she didn't get much sleep. Her focus today will be to get in as many naps as possible.

Quinn goes to the doctor today for the big weigh in. We are hoping that she is back to her birth weight. She also has trouble at night getting herself to sleep. We have inclined the bassinet, put more blankets, put her on her side and it all doesn't seem to help. She also snores like her mom. We might ask the doctor about that one....

Dad actually got up and worked out... it was quite a monumental return to the normal routine.
Once mommy is feeling better then we can really work to get back to our new family routine.

Updated Brelan.ca

We have updated a few pictures on the www.brelan.ca site! The following links have new pictures!

Family Visits
Random Quinn Pics

Science Experiment

Quinn had a relaxing day. We have decided she is our little science experiment. We experiment with different nipples, formula vs. breast milk, swaddled or no swaddle, swinging chair vs. inclined bassinet vs. regular bassinet. The variables are infinite!!
The main thing we are trying tonight is giving her antibiotics early instead of in the middle of the night and see how that affects her sleep.
We found a nipple that she seems to like and it really doesn't give her much air at all. It is the NUK nipple (Gerber) that fits the bottles we have. We also discovered she will not take a bottle that is too cold. She lets us know pretty quick that is not happening.

Hopefully tonight we will find a good mix so mom and dad get some sleep and Quinn is content. She is a real night owl. We might try the evening bath and see how that goes.

This week Mom and Dad are going to get back to real living. Eating well and dad is going to get back to working out. Mom isn't quite ready for that!!

In This Corner.... The Mighty Quinn!!!

Yesterday we made a visit to the doctors so Quinn could hit the scale.
We stripped her down... she peed... then we put her on the scale.
She is up almost 6lbs 14 oz which is only 1 oz from her birth weight. She has gained 3 oz. in 2 days! The two hour feeding are paying off.

Auntie Aisling and Uncle Jay came by to visit Quinn. She was a regular lady for them. They all played nice together. A good play day was achieved.

Last night wasn't such a great night. Quinn's schedule seemed to be way off. She was up a lot of the night. She wasn't eating much and crying quite a bit. We finally had a combination of gripe water, new nipple on the bottle, pure breast milk (from a formula mix) and a diaper change and that seemed to work. I think it was just pure luck. We seem to think it might be the fact that we give her the antibiotics in the night and it bothers her. We will try and give it to her during the day today and see what happens.

Daddy had a tough night with the little sleep and his tooth was hurting but mom really took over.

The focus again today is eating.... we are focused on getting Quinn to 7lbs by her doctor's appointment tomorrow!!

Keep up with Quinn

Mommy had a rough night last night and didn't get much sleep at all. Quinn was up every 2 hours. Actually it is more accurate that she was feeding every 2 hours. It takes about 30 minutes for her to eat and about 30 minutes to get back to sleep then up in another hour. Daddy was sterilizing like a mad man but did manage more zzz's than mom.

Today Auntie Aisling (Aisling Mosi) and Uncle Jay are coming to see Quinn for the first time. I can tell how excited Quinn is...... Then again that is the same face she gets when she is eating and pooping....

It is another weigh in day for Quinn so we are trying to get as much formula/breast milk in her before she has to hit the scales... It is like we are training her for a big fight....

Mommy and Daddy actually sat down last night and watched an entire movie. This was a change as they haven't done that since Quinn was born. Quinn will have to get used to that routine as it is quite common in our household!

Yesterday was leftover day. We finished up all the food that people brought us during the week. It was good to not have to worry about eating again, and to get some room back in our fridge!

Quinn is putting up a good fight!

We are trying our best to get Quinn to eat, eat, and eat. She is doing a good job most of the time but she is putting up a fight every now and again.

She has had more than her share of butt explosions today. Today they have all been kept special for mom. It is hard to believe they don't just lift her right off our laps!!

As you can see below, I think she might be telling us that she has had enough food.

OK little Ms. Quinn, you might have won this battle, but you aren't winning this war!!

Mom and Dad have done a pretty good job sharing the nap time and actually getting other stuff done.. dishes and laundry.

Fatten Quinn Up

Quinn's internal clock is now officially on a 2 hour schedule. Which isn't that bad during the day but causes quite the havoc during the night. Not much sleep for mom or dad but Quinn is gaining weight and up a full ounce from Wednesday.

She had an ultrasound today and was a regular lady with the technician.

We also visited the breastfeeding clinic today again and got a pretty good nurse. She offered tonnes of support and said it is just a matter of time before Quinn goes all out on the boob. Quinn really has no issues latching and sucking. It is the effort and the focus she needs to work on. We will cut her a break since she isn't even 2 weeks old.

People still assume she is a boy with her name. It doesn't help that we have all unisex sleepers and clothes that were bought before we knew she was a girl. We can't wait till we can put in the pigtails.

We now know that Quinn enjoys to pee when there is no diaper on. The last 3 diaper changes she has saved a stream of pee for when she has no diaper on and is airing out the goods. It could be worse, she could have the urge to poop at that time. All in all it is no big deal.

She is still good to only cry when she needs something, although she still gets frustrated that she can't soothe herself to sleep. We are working on that one.

Mom and Dad are alternating naps today to catch up on sleep from last night. We will see if we can get the hang of it.

Quinn on a feast

We visited the doctor today for Quinn's follow up appointment from the hospital.
We made sure to bring the diaper bag with us..... the only problem was that we left it in the car!

Quinn is down in weight, so for the next little while it will be a non stop feast for our little Quinn. It will be breast milk and formula 24 hours a day!

She is one sound sleeper. It took us forever to wake her up for her dinner. She just was not having it. I think she was just messing with us. She did eventually get up and took the whole bottle like a champ! Of course we did have to strip her down to get the blood going first!

Pat and Mike came by with a welcomed dinner feast. They brought Quinn some great gifts and Quinn was on her usual perfect guest behavior. It is like a switch she turns on when people are around.

Tonight will be the eating marathon and we will see how that all turns out. We have a feeling sleep will be optional.

Quinn shakes it up

Just when we thought we were getting the hang of this feeding thing, Quinn throws us a curve ball. She was up to almost 3oz every 3-4 hours. As of last night (late last night or early this morning, whichever you prefer) it seems she likes just over 2oz. every 2 hours or so. Mom and Dad now will make the necessary adjustments and see how it goes.

We are pretty much reserved to the idea that Quinn doesn't cry for no reason so when she cries we will change and feed her.... She is also pretty regular with the diaper changes.

We are all ready, showered (Quinn had a bath), had breakfast (Quinn had 2 bottles), and set for Quinns appointment this afternoon. Which is a change instead of a frantic grab and go.

We are just trying to keep up with our growing princess.

Grandparents to the rescue

Today we all were out and about. We came home and Brenda slept. Quinn also slept but that is nothing new. We think there might be a Sleep Olympics and she is in rigorous training.

Quinn's grandparents (Aaji & Aaja) came to the rescue today for us. They have been our savior for our dinners since Quinn came home. That is one thing that we haven't had to concern ourselves with. We have had a personal cook and delivery person at our disposal which has been such a blessing for us!!

Today we were running low on diapers and the lactation person suggested we try tougher nipples for Quinn. Aaja came to the rescue and picked up the necessary goods for us!! In no time at all we had new stock of diapers and some new nipples!! I think that might be the first time he has ever bought diapers and nipples.... a new experience all around!!! All this and delivery with a smile!!

We will get Quinn all ready for bed and pray for a good night!!

Little Quinn is getting settled

Last night was a pretty good night.
Quinn slept the whole night in the bassinet. It was quite the milestone.

She is now feeding every 3-4 hours regularly which is great news for mom and dad. It was a little weird not seeing her sleep as we have been used to the last couple nights and dad popped out of bed a couple times to check on her.

This morning she had quite the butt explosion and saved it all for dad. It ran down her legs and up her back. Oddly we were both pretty happy about it since it means her digestive system is running full tilt!

We got out of the house on time today for an appointment at 11:00 am, then grabbed some lunch and did some running around. All with our little Quinn in tote... a family on the go!

We will get the hang of this parenting yet! We also have Quinn to help us along the way!

First Doctor's Appointment

Well this is the week of appointments for Q-tip.
From Tuesday to Friday she has an appointment everyday.
Today was her first doctors appointment.
We got her up and dressed.

Not only that we both were showered and ready before noon!! It was quite a monumental undertaking!

However, we underestimated the degree of production needed to getting out the door ready. As a result we were 20 minutes late for the doctors appointment. We also didn't bring a diaper bag and Quinn was probably a little under dressed for the cold weather. Although, we didn't drop or forget her anywhere so a good first trip out!!

She is down to about 6lbs 10oz. which is about 3% which we are told is normal. anything over 5% is cause to monitor and over 10% is concern. She is 19 inches long.

On the way home she fell asleep in the car seat which was great news for us as she will probably be spending a fair amount of time in there because of all the driving mommy and daddy do.

She looked so peaceful we decided to leave her in there for a while to finish out her nap.

Is there a regular schedule in the cards???

Well last night was an even better night than the night before.

Kanch was over for some sushi (Brenda missed that the most during pregnancy) and Quinn was great. She ate a little and slept.

We fed her at 10:00pm then she slept till midnight.
We got her ready for bed and then fed her again at 1am.
She laid awake and content for a while then fell asleep at around 2am.
Woke up for next feeding at 6:30am then went right back to bed.
We had to get her back up at 10:30am to eat and get ready.

All in all it was a pretty good night!
We still have to work on sleeping when she is sleeping instead of watching her.

She now only cries for specific things.. eat, sleep, or change me.
By process of elimination it isn't such a crazy guessing game.

She is our little princess.

some photos from tonight

are up here

http://brelan.ca/2007march19_km/

k.

Regular Eating

Well Quinn went down for a little nap. She woke up about an hour later and actually just wanted some food then went back to sleep.

This is her first sign of regularity and we are thrilled about it!!

We have a sneaky feeling that our sense of security will all crumble horribly tonight...

We will wait and see......

Eyes open!

Yes, she does have eyes, and they do open!

Another Day and more progress

Well we haven't mastered the feeding thing yet.... but I am sure it is only
a matter of time.

Quinn is doing great and we had some really cute outfit changes today.

She had her second bath today and liked it a lot more than the first one as
we increased the temperature of the water quite a bit.

Quinn actually was down for a couple of hours out of our arms in the
bassinet... a breakthrough for sure.
She is great. Lots more aware than yesterday.

She caught Milan with a vicious right hook when he was changing her.... Not
quite sure she did any damage but he will keep his eyes open the next time
around!!

We will see how tonight unfolds but things are looking up!!

Quinn's First decent night

So last night was the first night home that Quinn (and parents) got some
regular sleep. It was about 2 hours... feeding.. then 2 more hours... then some more this morning.. If the feeding was a little easier this would be a walk in the park!!!

Just Joking

She is still so cute. I think we both might get more sleep if we didn't spend so much time looking at her sleeping.

We are still getting used to not showering or getting out of our sleep clothes till 7:00pm. Today we said we would both shower before noon... but since it is 11:58 I think there is a fat chance that will happen!!

The adventure continues!!!

Quinn: Day6

Well Quinn is slowly getting into somewhat of a predictable routine....
Or maybe it is just mom and dad that are getting into the routine.
This is her 6th day of life and coming up on the third night at home...

1st night.... 20 minutes of sleep
2nd night... 2 hours of sleep

3rd night.... ??

She is getting more and more beautiful every day and developing quite the
personality...