Angel Scriptures

I swear every day Q pulls out a new cute thing he does. Ian reads scriptures to us almost every night. This night he started helping Daddy read.

AR-15

A while back Ian was talking about how the other men in the Elders Quorum Presidency are so into guns. I shared with him how I'd never used anything other than a pellet or paint ball gun and how I was interested: having no experience with them and not even knowing how to get it. Some friends down in Cali were totally into shooting and I had thought about asking then, but never did. Ian on the other hand had grown up a boy scout and had male roommates in college, so he'd had the opportunity on many a time.

He shared this with the presidency so Jim Woolbert took us out today to experience his love and experience with firearms. It was pretty cool. He started me off with a 22 which was a nice intro to the noise and kick, but after a few shots through my blind eyes at a target I could hardly see; I was ready to move up. I do think it's cool that the bullet can go for a mile!

Next he showed me how to use a 9mm pistol. His dad had me kinda freaked out about shooting too many bullets up in the air so I got a little nervous with this one. Plus I couldn't brace this one against my shoulder. Being an ABSOLUTE novice in the freezing cold wind I found it humorous that I was trying to hold it so I wouldn't get harmed by the kick back, aiming at a blurry target and afraid to pull the trigger too hard so I wouldn't shoot too many bullets like his dad said I might. The rest was pretty cool. I now know what it's like to shoot the weapons I see on TV all the time. I know what it feels like, sounds like and smells like! Jim demonstrated the semi-automatic aspect of the pistol so I could see the difference. I'm a really tangible learner, so this was great.

BUT, next he pulled out his recently assembled AR-15 which I learned is the civilian version of the most commonly used military M-16. Out came the earplugs. Q (refusing ear protection) and I hung out in the truck while I observed Jim & Ian shoot a couple into the tree. Then it was my turn. I have to say it was pretty cool. The scope was much easier to see the target even though the earmuffs made it difficult to look through it. This baby put out a lot of smoke and quite a bang. I was humorously remembering the girl in I-Robot who shot the automatic with her eyes shut - 'cause there was nothing I could do to keep my eyes open after that loud bang!

It was great and I'm grateful for the experience. Can you see the glee on Ian's face? Do you think he's glad he took the day off for this?

I learned the difference between single shot, 3 bullet bursts, semi-automatic and automatic weapons. 'Bout time! I've been living with a video game junkie for all these years and didn't know! He also told us all about the functioning parts of each gun and M-223 bullets he used. I learned a lot. I also learned why these weapons would and could fire underwater.

Even Q got to check it out, right before he hit his non-nap limit and fell asleep crying on my shoulder in the cold wind.

Merry Christmas 2!

Today I turn two, so guess what my new word is?

Mine!

I'm so excited about my presents. I got a big Buzz Lightyear and a little Buzz.

I got Buzz and Woody jammies and Thomas jammies.

Life couldn't be better. Wish you could have seen my happy prance around the room when I opened them! I now wake up talking about Buzz, whom, of course, sleeps with me now. and I point out "Bu-eye" (bullseye, woody's horse) on my jammies. I'm pretty cute when I try to say "To Eternity! And Beyond!" It kinda sounds like "Ee! Anond!"

Daddy's presents are pretty cool, too, though. I want to play with them just as much as my own!

We had my birthday party on Wednesday when more family could be here. Grandma & Grandpa Walker, Uncle Daniel, Aunt Becky & Uncle Clarence, Adam, Jared & Marisa came!

I

WAS

IN

7TH

HEAVEN!

So many people to play with and show off for! And more presents to unwrap! I LOVE opening presents! I got my own Woody! Happy dance! And Toy Story slippers! Happy Dance! and Toy Story 3! Happy Dance! And books about Thomas, Pooh and trains!

Momma spent about 2 hours making and decorating my cake, with Grandma, to look like Winnie the Pooh (since I love Pooh). She was pretty mystified when I wouldn't even try a taste! I REALLY liked everyone singing to me, though. That was fun. I just stared at the candles since I didn't know what to do with them.

2 year old stats: 31 lbs and 35.5 inches tall. He'll probably be taller than Daddy.

TaeBo Baby and the Copy Cat

A friend at church told me last week that her mom claims babies active in the womb are calm when they come out and vice versa. It sounded a lot like an old wives tale to me, but since I can't remember what Q was like in-utero aside from having hiccups, we'll wait and see. This little girl appears to think that she's surrounded by a punching bag and is using it to her delight. There are times when I look at my belly and think "what the heck is going on in there!" Hence I've dubbed her TaeBo Baby. Maybe she's trying to let me know that she plans to keep up with her big brother as soon as her feet hit the floor.

Meanwhile I'm trying to imagine another member of our family that could be as cute as Quintin. Hard to do. OB told me last week that she's in the 95% for size. Lovely. She's likely to be bigger than Q. So much for my lifetime desire for petite newborns. However, my arm muscles are plenty strong enough this time around to handle it. What is 9 lbs compared to 30?

Mr. Q has definitely grown into the next stage of development. His fits are more frequent, louder and longer. One of our frustrations is that all his cries sound the same (always have). He's not like other kids with a 'fake' cry, so it takes a lot of problem solving to discover if it's a problem that can be resolved or a temper issue. This last week I've asked him to tell me what he needs and he's just slammed to the floor wailing (head and all, regardless of floor type). Well, can't help you with that one kiddo (if I'm close I try to block the floor-head slam). It probably doesn't help that Momma's harder to move and drag to a desired object now. It hurts me to move a lot of the time, especially if I'm on the floor. Pregnancy hips, I guess.

He did this while waiting in the bathroom line Monday night at the Warm Beach Lights of Christmas. What 2 year old wants to stand around when there is so much to see? Anyway, everyone in the room moaned when his head clunked the 1/4 inch carpeted concrete. I managed to catch his forehead with my shoe the 2nd time but he just picked it up again and did it next to my shoe!!! Crazy kid! That has to hurt!

But he is making progress in the Daddy appreciation area. At the ward Christmas party he actually walked across the gym to hug Daddy in the dessert line -and stayed there. That's pretty unprecedented. He NEVER walks away from Momma for another person. There is hope! He's also stopped having fits when I leave him with someone. It brings me such peace of mind that my child has finally established enough trust and security to know that when Momma says she will be back, she will, and there's no need to scream over it. And maybe I don't have to sneak out every time, now. Maybe he's saving all the good crying for Momma.

He started literally experimenting with boundaries this week. He got a hold of one of Ian's tools and walked around the room hitting it on things, looking at me each time to see if I'd smile and laugh with him or not. He blows me away sometimes with how responsive he is. He completely responded to me about what was okay and what wasn't, then requested a hug when it wasn't okay to hit Momma with it.

He's also continuing with the language explosion.

• He jabbers at the TV, and his toys, and while we're driving.
• When I'm talking to him he repeats the last word in every statement I make.
• The other night we were trying to find out why he was whining, starting with food. Listing off things he could have. We asked if he wanted a cookie since that's what Daddy was doing and in the most pitiful voice he says "coo-kie." That was way too cute to resist.
• He walks around the house saying "hey, ma-an"
• He asks "Okay?" if you cough or sneeze or get an owie.
  
• "Good Morning"
• "What's dat? A caw!" (car)
• "Get it" when something rolls away
• He loves to be chased and tickled. This week he'll come tickle us then run away saying "Ge-Me Momma!" SO MUCH FUN this kid is!
  
  This week he's been copying LOTS of Daddy stuff.
• He found the paper towel roll and repeatedly held it up to his eye saying "I see you!" (pulling it away) "Boo!" He continued doing this with the play-ear of corn this morning since he couldn't find the roll.
• When he gets tickled and roughed up he keeps saying "He-ey!" like Daddy does...with a big grin on his face.
  
• Daddy pretends to be asleep so Q will say "Wake Up!" over and over again. Now Q tells anyone to Wake Up! anytime they are resting their head, laying down or closing their eyes.
• He was riding around on his dino ride-on toy, got up, found a loose key then came back and stuck it in all the holes on the right side of the dino while continuing to ride around. That boy loves keys and key holes!
• He's finally learning how to say "I love you" which is lots of fun.
  
  Sadly, not all the copying is good. I've been on the verge of feline homicide on many a day the last month. So now, when Mande walks through the kitchen Q will follow behind her trying to kick her and saying things like "Man-e, out!" or "Man-e, down!" or "Man-e, stop!"

I'd finally had enough with the cats last weekend so Ian and I officially moved them into the garage. They DON'T like exile. They spend ALLLLLL day whining at the windows and glass doors to get back in. Too bad I can't reason with them. If they'd only learn to: always use the litter box; stay off the counters; not steal our food; stop whining; stop tripping me everywhere I go; and Mande stop hissing and growling at everyone and everything, I'd be willing to put up

with the cat hair everywhere and dust bunnies appearing 3 minutes after I vacuum. They have always been indoor cats, so I hope they learn to adjust soon. One of the neighborhood strays is trying to adopt us now that there's company outside our house. Last thing I need is another one! It feels so good not to have to worry about them! What a relief!

We also went to a fun Christmas festival/fundraiser here on Camano. They had a real camel, reindeer and firetruck!

I'm NOT crazy!

Background:

With all my education, training and experience I've seen a lot of different styles of parenting...and made a few decisions about my own approach. I decided long ago I'm not going to be one of those ultra-hovering-worried about everything-first time moms. Yes Q falls down and gets bumps frequently, but no I don't let him lean over cliffs, etc.

Given that, when I take him to the doctor I expect to be taken seriously. I'm not bringing him in for every sniffle, so don't patronize me. This has not been the case over the last year. I picked a pediatrician, recommended by a few sources here, who has a reputation for being competent and on the ball, seeings how the Cali one totally missed the boat on his muscle delays. Every time I've gone to her (outside of well child checks) or even asked questions about my concerns she's responded with a smile and sweet voice basically making me feel crazy. As you can guess this has made me a little leery of taking Q in with any further concerns, even though his newborn doctors said not to hesitate because of his susceptibility to problems with his kidneys. When I call for an appointment and get a different dr I never refuse.

Present:

As I've mentioned previously Q has been sick with a yucky nose cold. The Friday before Thanksgiving I took him in because he had green coming out of his nose and I didn't want to get all the cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents sick over the holiday. It had been a week so I was outside the "too early to treat" time frame. The nice PA gave us some antibiotics for sinusitis which we had to wait an agonizing hour for in RiteAide, but the green went immediately away. (thank you so much for not blowing me off!) We went to Ferndale thinking all was on the mend. He promptly started coughing and the runny nose didn't stop. We plugged along hoping, but after a week I was getting worried again. This weekend he sounded like he was breathing underwater and I was asking him to cough for Momma several times a day.

I took him to his regular doctor yesterday kinda gritting my teeth. I told her every detail of the last two weeks, she checked him out and had her student share her opinion before her own. For the first time I was validated! They couldn't tell whether he's got walking pneumonia or his nose is draining into his chest, but to kill both options they are putting him on prednisone for a week to try to clear everything up. I really hope it works, it's agonizing to listen to him breathe.

Of course I never want to be right that there's something wrong with my boy, but when I know that there's something wrong I want something done about it! This time I wasn't crazy, there is something wrong and needs treatment. She gave me permission to go to public stuff so I'm really hoping he didn't get any family sick last week!

Shopping

I'm so excited. I found this awesome deal on Melissa & Doug toys (sturdy painted wood) online and hit the jackpot. We're set for Q's Christmas. They arrived in the mail yesterday (wow - fast & free) and it's like Christmas for me already! I want to get them out and play with them. Time for self restraint. Good thing Q hasn't seen them!

Hypochondriac

Ian had some movie playing the other night and we heard a high school kid inform his classmate that "fibromyalgia is a disease made up by hypochondriacs to justify their claims." Haahaaahaa! Oh, the healthy will always criticize the unwell. I can't tell you how many times I've heard non-depressed people say that depressed people should just get up and work, and healthy people say unhealthy people are making it up. I remember back in the day when I wasn't sick with chronic stuff and I couldn't even fathom what being sick all the time was like...so therefore it wasn't real, right? I never understood my sisters pain because I couldn't feel it myself.

I'll have you know that until 2004 I was a healthy, busy, busy lady. I don't think I appreciated it like I should have, but I think that opposition is in all things for a reason. Can't appreciate the good without the bad. And I don't even have it that bad, frankly. There are so many sisters in my ward that are in and out of the hospital frequently with horrible things I don't even want to think about! I truly hope they receive miracles! Anyway that silly boy in the movie got me thinking and I had to rant. There are many days when I think about how lazy I am when I'm not up doing all the time like my amazing in-laws, and then I have a good day and I am up doing all day and it feels great! But it only lasts for a day at a time. I remember my sister saying this same thing to me back in the day when my autoimmune stuff hadn't surfaced yet and I'd always console her that she was sick and had a reason. Now I need to heed my own medicine!

Last week I was in the rheumatologists office and I peeked at his notes on the computer screen as we chatted. I read "patient has been diagnosed with fibromyalgia." What??? I don't want to read that on my doctors screen!!!! I remember informing him when I first came to him that a previous rheumatologist had told me I showed "markers' for fibromyalgia. I didn't have the guts to ask him if that meant diagnosis. ????? I had also told him said previous Dr had mentioned lupus and now HE talks about lupus EVERY time I visit. He's pushing lupus drugs and treatment on me! Okay, I can deal with rheumatoid arthritis because that's what I know and it's being treated. I feel tremors at the thought of the other two, I want nothing to do with them. I'm pretty much blocking it all out of my mind except for those times I visit him (plus, I guess, the treatment plan I'm on is working for the most part, so why change it?). I even talked him into putting the next visit off for two months. He's really nice and extremely thorough, I like him. He's taken the time to be very explicit in answering all of my questions and he's the one that found my 2nd blood clotting disorder that's taken my pregnancy shots to a yucky but safer level (for me, not the baby). He may just have saved my life doing that.

We all thank him.

But don't scare me please.

I do not consider myself a hypochondriac that hoards diagnoses. A previous chiropractor said that fibromyalgia is what they say when they don't have a clue what's wrong. Maybe that's true, I still don't want it.

Sister says they come in three's. I've got my three, don't need five.

I do have to say that I truly do mourn the loss of things like; playing volleyball, frisbee; exercise like push-ups, jogging, yoga, crawling (even riding a bike can be difficult); and hard work like using a hammer, crowbar or ax. Those things are pretty therapeutic.

Ranting done. Apologizes to anyone for tmi.

My true purpose in writing today was that my men are sick. The kind we all relate to, sympathize with and DO NOT want to catch. Q's face turned into a virtual fountain of yuck on Sunday and it only gets worse by the day. It's so bad today that his nose is bleeding from all the kleenex wipes I've been inflicting on him. ('m still going to have to wipe down the furniture 'cause I haven't been 100% successful at catching it all). Then yesterday Ian came home sick after lunch and slept all afternoon. He tried going back to work today, hopefully he makes it and gets better quickly. I'm praying I don't get this infernal plague because it hasn't even been a month since the last one and I'm pregnant. This means I can't hardly take anything to help. Plus next week is a family holiday and I don't want to be miserable and/or share the misery. I know it's probably hopeless because Q and I share everything (that is until the facial fountain started). Plus he's sneezing/coughing on me, my plates, my bed... But I can hope. Rather ironic that all of a sudden he's wanting kisses again. Eww.

Comparing

In all my education I've always known that parents aren't supposed to compare their kids to others. I did really well at this until Q was about 6 months old and we found out he had a muscle delay. The next 7 months were spent in therapy and trying to catch him up with his developmental milestones. I think that started the comparison bit that is hard to stop. I KNOW that all kids develop at different rates and it's a marvelous time watching with delight when something new comes around.

On that note, one of Q's 'closest-in-age' cousins that we see fairly often is George - the wild man. I think I heard that his brother calls him destructo-boy and he scares his mom to death several times a day. Granted, we KNOW that George has an older brother to learn from and follow which helps a lot of 'not-first-born' kids hit their milestones quicker. However, over the past year or so we've been flabbergasted to see all the things that George does that Q does not. And when Q does finally do something George did, we often say he's catching up with George. This week was one of those weeks. Side note: Ian keeps showing/teaching Q to do boy things that are not necessarily great, like writing on himself with the bathtub markers, and...

On Saturday Ian pulled all the soft pillows and cushions down and put them on the floor for Q to jump onto - off the couch. (he's finally at the gross-motor developmental level to be able to do this) Of course Q absolutely LOVED this and had a blast. What boy or even child wouldn't? And he is definitely ALL rough and tough boy. They had a great time. I think it started with us holding his hands to steady him on his way down, but he quickly worked to independence. The most painful part was actually getting on the couch. He'd climb the stool over the arm and kept whacking his head into the board on the back of the couch!

Well, Monday came around and Q decided it was time to do it again and set it up himself. I looked over and saw him pulling the cushions off all by himself (these cushions are about twice his size!) and proceed to jump off. He did this off and on throughout the evening. A few hours after he got home Daddy wanted to sit down comfortably so he put the cushions and pillows back. Did that phase Q? Heck no. Here's our George moment: Q continued to jump off the couchonto the floor for at least 20 minutes! He didn't care that his leg kept catching on the side (forcing a side split) and it'd bounce him onto his side, or that he continuously landed on his shins. He just smiled from ear to ear and ran to climb and do it again. When he finally took a break he was damp with sweat! Ian and I just stared and laughed at our crazy boy. Largest benefit of this newfound fun, you ask? He used up all his energy and we don't! What a blessing that little kids are made out of rubber!

I apologize for lack of pictures/video. When I finally pulled the camera out the battery was dead and Q was done. I'll try to catch it next time.

It's been a while

Late Halloween pictures. Quintin didn't appreciate his tiger outfit in the hot gym at church. Although I didn't get a good picture, I made my costume. There's a little baby skeleton on my tummy.

Quintin has had a Language explosion this past month and it is so fun! He specializes in nouns, but a few verbs and nouns have crept in.

• All letters and numbers are called "E," but I've started hearing a few more like T.
• He now says "sad" when he's sad. It melts your heart, so sweet. And he's learning to say happy.
• He can say almost all the common animals in his books and toys, many body parts, and clothing items. I can't say I appreciate those dirty little fingers poking into my mouth every day to say "teeth!"
• Drink, milk, juice, sandwich. His cue for us when he's hungry is "Bite!" We don't know what happened to 'more,' ...miss that one.
• He loves to gallop/hop around the room saying "hoppi" like he's a bunny. We often see bunnies outside our window and he just lights up when he spots them. He laughs/giggles when he sees them hop.
• Thank you sounds more like "tang goo" and he says it spontaneously without prompting, or repeats after whoever says it to him. It is often followed with his rendition of Your Welcome which is more recognizable by the tone and cadence than the words. We're just starting to work on please.
• He's just started to repeat back "Hi Buddy" to Daddy when he hears it. Absolutely adorable. He loves to say hi to us. "Hi Mamma," "Hi Dadda." (Ian's actually getting frustrated because even though Q beams when he gets home, he runs straight for Mamma and will only interact with him from my arms. I'm not sure what to do.)
• 'I want it' sounds more like "I wan-it" but it's cute.

Just this week we were using puzzle pieces with handles to clap and I started doing it 'front' and 'back' and 'side' 'side' as well as 'up' and 'down.' He thought this was fun and now does it every time he plays with that puzzle. It's a crack up to watch him direct us on which way to go and confuse front with side, etc. He absolutely loves the attention and I can hardly believe how much fun he is! He's a literal sponge right now!

Being a boy he's getting rougher by the day as I get bigger and more tender by the day. This past week he's been hitting me with something or slamming his head into me which results in a loud "OW!" Then he immediately reaches out and says "Hug!" Totally sweet but can we skip the first part and only do the hugs? I don't know where's he's learned to follow Ow with a hug, or maybe he's causing the ow to get a hug?

This weekend Ian taught Q 'ring around the rosies' and he's fallen in love. He already loved 'this little piggy' and 'patty cake' which you don't get to stop once you start. "Again!" we hear. Well, once again Daddy got more than he bargained for. Q requests it every night now (either saying "rosies" or "posies") and Mommy can't do it more than one or two times before getting too dizzy (as well as unable to get off the floor) so it's all on Daddy. :) It is such a delight to see Q learn and love life.

His mouth has finally decided to kick into gear and the molars have come rushing in, poor guy. He cut 3+ teeth within a few weeks. On the upside his ability to eat meat is increasing!

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I'm approaching 6 months pregnant and this baby girl is getting violent, all 1 lb of her. I joked with the OB last week that I'm going to have bruises on the inside from her and outside from Q. I don't remember Q being like this and since I know several '2nd children' that gave their parents a run for their money, I think this girl is going to be a livewire. I guess we'll know in a year.

Trying to get my clothes to fit nicely AND comfortably has been a challenge. I'm right in the middle of little maternity and big maternity clothes. Result = frumpy! Yuck. I'll live. I also noticed the crows feet growing on my eyes. My glasses hide them but they're there! I really didn't want that to ever happen. Grey hair is fine, but I don't want the wrinkles.

I've started going to Mops again and it's been great. I really appreciate the mommy time and the ability to talk about things I'm really struggling with with others that are going through the same stuff. Plus the devotionals are great to help me evaluate where I'm at and where I want to be in my faith, relationships and personal development. Q loves the nursery this year and that's a huge load off. He's so incredible. Unless he's sick he loves going to play.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This summer 'we' used an idea that Ian heard on the radio during his commute. He cleaned out two trash cans and planted potatoes in the bottom. Then filled it in with dirt as the plants grew. We didn't start digging them out until about Sept/October. I have to say I'm pretty impressed with the result, even though a friend said it was pretty 'ghetto'. I'd say we've gotten about a 10 lb bag of potatoes out of each plant/can. It wasn't until yesterday that I finally got the shovel out and harvested the rest of one of the cans. I still need to do the other one. We'll certainly do that again.

Last week our external hard drive got accidentally bumped causing it to fall and break something in the internal hardware. UUUUUUGH! That little black box held ALL, ALL of our home videos and family pictures. I wasn't worried because Ian said it would keep them safe from viruses, etc. Guess we never thought of physical damage. Since he's a spiffy 'outside salesman' down in Seattle Ian has all kinds of contacts so he's gone to several companies to get assessments and quotes on rescuing the data. Uuuuuugh! It looks like we are going to have to pay over $1200 to fix it in a clean room in the mid-west with the promise of a 90-95% chance of success. Oh my. Precious memories are invaluable. You better believe it's all going on CD's and DVD's when/if we get it back!

The power went out last Friday evening. This was a good lesson for me (even though we have a generator).

1. Don't procrastinate taking a shower.
2. Don't procrastinate cooking dinner. (Turns out our cook-stove isn't connected to the generator circuit. Leftovers it is!)
3. Don't procrastinate starting the pellet stove for heat!

Luckily the power came back on in the middle of the night and life was normal in the morning. BUT it's only November and there are several more months of this coming. Hopefully lesson learned.

I apologize for no pictures. :(

September October Videos

Grandma and Grandpa Skinner came for a short trip back in September. Q enjoyed having them around to play with! Here's a few videos with Grandpa.


I don't know where he picked up the "Yeah!" with hands but it's adorable and he does it every time he gets the rings on right.



And of course Peek a Boo is still his FAVORITE game!


He just gets more and more fun the older he gets. This video is SUPER long so if you don't have the patience to wait 2 minutes to get to the good part don't bother. He was cracking me up making faces.

He's also recently discovered that our bed is outrageously fun. He does this almost every day now.

It's a Girl!

We get to have one of each! And this means I have to get a new wardrobe. I think some of my newborn stuff will cross over. :) Bonnie (m-i-l) and I were talking about whether we'd be dressing her in pink or not. But I don't know of many other color schemes that go with girls. I know my s-i-l Laura had a beautiful alternative color scheme for her boys...

She's a wiggly little girl, made a challenge for the sonographer. I would totally be claustrophobic if I had as little space as she does. I'm used to Q's 'too much fluid' so seeing her in those cramped quarters made me nervous, but the doctors were fine with what she's got. I also need to keep in mind she doesn't have to breath!

All her parts looked normal this week so it looks like we won't have any problems this time around. We're super happy about that. They are still anxious to keep tabs on her due to my history so we'll be seeing the specialists lots more, but that's okay with me. I'm grateful they are SO thorough and vigilant. I prefer my babies healthy and alive.

I didn't realize until we'd left that we didn't take home any pictures. I'll get some next time.

*******************************************
I've been super sick this last week, I don't recall having sinus headaches before like this but it's been a doozy. Now it looks like Q is coming down with it, not surprising since we share everything. I hope he doesn't get as sick as I have! Both of us don't have many options for medication, so it'll be a bit more slogging through. Ian hasn't caught it yet, hopefully he won't.

We've been up at M&D Walker's a lot this week. Bellingham has the best kids consignment stores! We found Q a cute tiger costume for $10 and got stuff for me to make mine. We really wanted him to be Diego this year but aside from having Mom sew the backpack and vest, couldn't think of how to do it. Maybe we can make a Diego costume for Ian and Q can be his Baby Tiger!

Plus this was the 2nd installment of Walker Apple Pressing for the Fall. Ian was out there working away while Q and I muddled around. He liked picking apples. I hate cold and wet!

My sewing machine decided to go kaput right at the end of the big cloth diaper project. Bonnie and I took it to a place to fix it and found out it will cost the same as replacing it! I'm undecided what to do. Mine is a nice older model with sturdier construction than the new ones. Plus I don't need all the techy gadgets the new ones have. If I find the time I'll try to find somewhere else that might fix it. Until then I'm going to have to bum of Bonnie and friends for their machines. I have several baby sewing projects I'm prepping for.

Remlinger Farms

A while back I got a groupon deal for Remlinger Farms in Carnation, Wa. It looked like fun and we finally went a couple weeks ago. They had an AWESOME train that ran along the park. What can get better than that? This was half the reason I wanted to take Q, to ride on a train!This train was so cool and 'grown up' that Q would have NOTHING to do with sitting in our laps. He had to sit on his own and look at EVERYTHING! Along with the park rides, there was views of animals and little 19th century scenes they set up to look like mining, farming, railroad stuff.
This place is set up especially for little kids so Q could go on EVERY ride. Aside from the train his favorite was the roller coaster. Sorry, I didn't get a picture of that. He dragged us back to that one then got upset in line because the 'miner' front blocked the view of the coaster and he thought we weren't getting on!

Here Q is driving an old Jalopy around the track.
I was really impressed that he went on the Ferris Wheel and Carousel all by himself while other kids bigger than him wouldn't get on. Our cool cat just sat there and took it ALL in.

Notice the girl behind him crying!

They also had canoe ride. I wanted to jump in the water! It was a hot day!
On the flying pumpkins I forgot about centrifical/centripital (sp?) force and put Q on the outside. So the duration of the ride I was using all my energy to keep from squishing him in the corner!
Ian took him on the spinning barrels and was spinning so fast Q was plastered flat...we didn't think he appreciated that. He didn't ask to get back on, even though spinning is one of his favorite things to do!

Food, Glorious food!

My 21 month old son has FINALLY decided to eat real food!
I was just watching jealously as a friend of mine fed her son tuna casserole last week. I was wondering when that would ever be my reality since Q would only eat crackers, fruit, soft stuff. I made some homemade spaghetti sauce and since then Q can't get enough! He eats almost anything I give him now. And as an added bonus, he's sleeping through the night! Full tummy's are a blessed thing. This is even better since we're having difficulty giving him dairy or soy, so at least now he's getting something nutritious.

Stats today: 35 inches tall, 28 lbs. He's on track to be taller than Daddy already!

It's a ??????

Just wanted announce that we are expecting. Due in March. We're excited. We find out next month what it is.

Most everything is going well so far. My new doctors are super thorough and have discovered I have an additional condition called "protein S deficiency" that adds to my antiphospholipid blood clotting problem. I got the bad news this week that I have to continue my daily shots for 6 weeks after the baby is born. LAAAAMMMME! He thought I might feel better when he told me I could do them in my legs at that point. LAAAME! I'm already getting the nonstop bleeding and bruising...and I have 7-8 more months of this!!

My morning sickness is finally starting to subside, thank heavens. I was taking the nurses miracle recipe of vitamin B6 plus unisom to keep it under control. I was pretty good except for the evenings.

I can't believe how quickly my tummy has started popping out. I feel really lumpy! And I probably will until I actually look like I'm really pregnant. It's been a challenge to play and love my little Q without putting any pressure on my tender tummy. I had to start maternity clothes immediately since I'm so tender in the 1st trimester, and now that I'm less tender I'm too big for my normal clothes.

Anyhow, it looks like I get to add to the steady stream of Walker babies that have been coming in this year!

Developments

Q's latest words (expressive) that I can remember:
Bubbles (although he's regressed to only saying BO! this week)
Juice (overgeneralized to any drink)
JayJay! because he loves the video!
Shoes (includes socks)
Nose (pronounced Noshe usually) This is by FAR his favorite word. If he's ever at a point that he wants to communicate but you aren't getting his message...he busts out "Nose!" I think it's because he knows we know that word. Because of this he's overgeneralized the use and meaning of the word beyond a facial part! Silly boy.
Open (pronounced 'Ahbe' at this point, working on it)
Choochoo (obviously this means trains)
Eyes (which he seems to think is glasses instead of the actual eye, guess that's what comes of having a mommy and daddy with glasses)
Tooth
Ouch (y), Ow it seems to be his word for upset because he says it any time he doesn't like what's going on. Crying wolf, much.
toes

bottle
more (pronounced mo)
two he says this when daddy is doing a 1, 2, 3 and then tosses him. He says "Two! Two! Two!" to get the game to continue.
keys he has recently become fascinated with keys, wants to hold them and point at every keyhole he sees. On his strolls with Daddy during stake conference this weekend he pointed out every keyhole in ever door they passed! A while back I made him his very own keychain so that he could play with that instead of mine; it's been a lifesaver this past week since I need to drive the car with them...and preferably without a screaming toddler in the backseat.
brush

kitty (pronounced ki-y) he's got the T down on boat but not kitty.
sshhh everytime we see anyone or anything sleeping
boat (this includes the ocean outside our window)
out
star (pronounced 'tar)
Mamma and Dadda! Yeah! I've been waiting so long for him to call us by our names! I love it! Everytime he sees us he says it. The other day he pointed at himself to say baby, then me to say mamma. :)
Daddy has also taught him all kinds of cool car and crash sounds, so he's got those down pat already.

Receptive: It is so exciting to know he understands me when I'm talking to him. I had to call him back from crossing the street to the neighbors yesterday and tell him he couldn't go over there without Momma. He totally turned around and played in our yard for the next 15 minutes! I was so excited! NO physical intervention!

Nursery
food
outside
prayer (about our last 6 FHE's have been focused on what prayer is and how we look and act during it so that our little guy can be a little more reverent. It lasts about 3 seconds at a time right now, but it's growing on him.)
airplane (he does the sign every time thanks to aunt Becky)
ears
chin

Q actually cut his first molar in August and he's cutting all four eye teeth as we speak. There was a six month break of no teeth and then all of a sudden here they all come. We're still undecided about whether it's causing his digestive problems or not. He's also getting ready to pop out a few more molars. Quite the crabby boy sometimes.

The Fair!

The Stanwood-Camano Fair was the perfect size for us. Small enough that we could get to everything without walking FOREVER! We looked at all the animals first. Sadly Q was more excited about all the balloons he saw around than seeing the animals in real life that we talk about all the time. So we got him one.

We made our way over to the carnival and were baffled by the ticket prices. But then we were pleasantly surprised with the carnival workers. Because Q was so little they only made us pay for one of us to get on each of the kiddie rides. PLUS the slide guy let us to two or three times each time! It was a blast!

This Merry-go-round was MUCH faster than the one at the zoo. And once is never enough!
This slide was awesome. I'm sure I did it when I was a kid, but I don't remember. I was hollering all the way down, poor Q. You can see his balloon poking into the picture!He loved it so much that he'd immediately get back up and start heading for the stairs to do it again. Luckily he wasn't disappointed since the man let us go again.
Next stop was the Jalopy Junction. Q got to turn the steering wheel as we bumped around the little track.
Since we had extra tickets left over because they only made us pay for one instead of two, we got to do a few more rides again. This time Daddy took Q down the slide. And they let them go twice again!
And I did the Merry-go-round this time. Is it just me, or does it look like the outer horses are leaning out? Perhaps that's why I felt like we were going to fall out!
I so badly wanted Q to go on the real pony ride that Daddy said yes. It was a lot bumpier than the merry-go-round. After going around a few times with him he looked comfortable enough to let go on his own.

Summer Fun

We've done a few fun things this summer. Q has decided that he likes his cap and sunglasses. He even tries my hat on too. I think he's the cutest thing ever when he's styling around with his shades.He's developed a fascination with belts.

He tried on mommy's socks.

He found fun stuff to do while Momma worked in the yard. Like try on Momma's work gloves. OOOO, and then he found the bird bath!OOhh, Momma! Water! Just at my height! Perfect!But there are consequences for getting wet. You look like you peed your pants Q!We also went to the zoo with Aunt Becky, Jared, Marisa and Grandma Skinner. Very fun but oh so exhausting!And we played at the park with the cousins.And with Momma's old best friends families...not so sure about that, though.Q helped Momma clean the house.And he helped Daddy exercise.

And we went for walks in the forest/park and did a facial skid down the path. You can actually see him go down at the end of this clip.

That wasn't so fun.Q played trains with his cousins. Hence he learned the word choo choo.

He started waving hello again, I'm so happy!

Here's a video of his adorable "Achoo"